VOL. 5 ISSUE 39
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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2007
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LIFE 21
STYLE 25
Irish dancer Shawn Silver’s Celtic vision
Hats off to the must-have accessory for men this fall
About face Tory minister refuses to release constituency expenses now, despite public pledge BRIAN CALLAHAN
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day after she told a call-in radio show that she would give The Independent her constituency allowance receipts and a list of donation beneficiaries, Tory Dianne Whalen said she’s too busy to follow through until after the Oct. 9 election. The auditor general’s office also refuses to release the information, albeit with a more detailed and somewhat contradictory answer. And Premier Danny Williams was asked if he would direct the AG to release the receipts. His response — via e-mail from his spokeswoman? “No, he will not.” Dr. Linda Goodyear, Whalen’s Liberal opponent, says those answers are unacceptable. Whalen says she has no time for the discussion now. “Look, I’m door-to-door on the election campaign working to get re-elected,” Whalen, the incumbent in the district of Conception Bay EastBell Island and minister of Government Services, tells The Independent. “I haven’t got time to do that.” Whalen said she would, however, provide the information after the election. “I don’t think I said when I would do it, but it will have to be when the election is over.” See “People,” page 2
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The ban is gone.”
— Speaker Harvey Hodder, on the freedom of MHAs to release constituency allowance claims. See page 5
Campaign sign sits in Buchans fire hall, where Liberal leader Gerry Reid announced campaign promise for annual $5,000 grant to province’s rural volunteer departments Saturday, Sept. 22. Paul Daly/The Independent
‘You dream politics’ Travelling Liberal leader Gerry Reid’s hard road
IVAN MORGAN
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t’s just after 7 a.m. Saturday in a motel in Baie Verte. There’s no hot water in the rooms, the kitchen doesn’t open for an hour, and Gerry Reid’s Liberal bus is leaving sharp at 8:30. But this is rural Newfoundland, and when you ask nicely, kind-hearted Kim, a hotel employee, gets busy in the kitchen. Before long, there’s coffee and monstrous “Bayman’s special” breakfasts to get everyone on their way. Reid, with his stalwart assistant Darrell Mercer, has been on the road for days, crisscrossing the island in a big red bus with his
smiling mug on the side — chasing votes, showing the Liberal flag and giving local candidates a boost. It’s hard going for the Liberals, as they face being washed away in what polls suggest may be a Tory tsunami. Premier Danny Williams is very popular. Gerry Reid? Not so much, say pundits. It was a hard political road that got Reid here. Elected interim leader after former premier Roger Grimes’ resignation in 2005, Reid was happy to pass the reigns to newcomer Jim Bennett, who was acclaimed leader in February 2006. That turned out to be a short-lived Liberal love affair, and three months later Bennett was gone and Reid found himself back in the driver’s seat.
Now he’s in a bus seat on the campaign trail, where small crowds and public indifference seem to plague him wherever he goes. The previous day saw Reid riding the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s outsized bicycle built for 30 with Trinity North candidate Kathryn Small around the Random Mall in Clarenville. They drew few bystanders. Shoppers seemed preoccupied with their Friday morning. After the bike ride, there’s a scripted scrum and awkward on-camera questions about the large number of districts without Liberal candidates. That morning they were still short 19 candidates — with 29 out of a field of 48. (As of press deadline, they have 45 of 48 in place). See “I don’t think,” page 8
Students worry as enrolment at School for Deaf plummets; government still committed GALLERY 22
Uh Oh Canada: artist Bill Rose unveils latest collection BUSINESS 15
Elections are boom times for local sign companies Paper trail . . . . . Sean Panting . . Book review . . . Pam Ghent . . . . Events . . . . . . . .
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STEPHANIE PORTER
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he Newfoundland School for the Deaf, built 20 years ago and with a capacity for 200, currently serves 26 students with 13 staff. There are only two children enrolled at the elementary level. While the numbers are shrinking every year, Education Minister Joan Burke says the province is committed to keeping the school open — though she stops short of encouraging new students to enroll. “As a general philosophy, we would encourage integration (into mainstream schools),” Burke tells The Independent. “There has been a move away from segregating students and putting them in a segregated environment, as opposed to being able to integrate.” Currently, eight students at the school live in
residence (there are accommodations for up to 90), away from their home communities and families. “If someone is dependent on sign language and the development of that language, and that skill is not available in their community, we have to have a school for the deaf,” says Burke. “But obviously, with the numbers, we’re being challenged … “If the parents feel they would prefer The School for the Deaf, that option is available for them. But we feel that it would be in the best interests of the child for their social, emotional and academic development to have their families with them and (be in the mainstream).” Nicole Marsh, 18, a Grade 12 student at The School for the Deaf, begs to differ. One of “two, maybe three” students set to graduate this year, Marsh says her current school changed her life. Feeling isolated and helpless in her home community of Bishop’s Falls, her family’s move to St. John’s allowed her to, finally, be among
those she felt were her peers. Marsh is all too aware the number of students at her school is falling fast — and available courses along with it. But Marsh says government should be actively promoting the school she credits with getting her on track — not allowing it to slowly empty. “If more people realized the quality education NSD is capable of providing, it would make the school look better,” she tells The Independent in an e-mail interview. She adds there are between 300 and 500 hard-of-hearing or deaf youth in the province. “If more of these students (enrolled), and more teachers started working there, we’d have fuller classrooms, and more courses to provide … which would in turn, make NSD an option I feel many would like.” Marsh’s memories of school in Bishop’s Falls aren’t pleasant. See “Integration very,” page 7
2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Debating the debate
Town Hall formats might be more effective than shouting matches
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here are lots of things associated with a political campaign that can be placed under the silly category, and there has never been an election that did not have its share of odd and unusual events. So far in this election we have had the Tory candidate in CartwrightL’anse au Clair chastised by his leader for suggesting that a vote for him was a good idea. After all, if he were elected he would be on the government side of the House. Premier Williams took exception to the comment and publicly criticized his candidate. Talk about putting your electoral chances at risk. The Liberal candidate in Conception Bay East-Bell Island dared to suggest politicians who misused their constituency allowances should not be elected. The candidate made those comments with her leader standing next to her. Why was that silly? Well it just so happens that a lot of the members of her party find themselves caught up in the constituency problem. Oops … Without doubt, the leaders’ debate
RANDY SIMMS
Page 2 talk has to be one of the sillier things we have come up with in modern political life. I have no idea when this political exercise came into being, but I’m sure the framers of the first such debate could never have envisioned how it would degenerate. If Sept. 25, 2007 was an example to go by, we have to rethink these things. First of all the debate is formatted to encourage a verbal battle. A group of local journalists are invited to ask questions of each leader and then the leaders, in turn, debate the question and answer to it. What essentially happens — which I think can’t be helped — is the debate degenerates into a shouting match where the loudest voice is declared the winner.
The rule seems to be that once you start talking you never allow the other person to get a word in edgewise. We saw it in spades during this last debate. On a number of occasions Danny Williams and Gerry Reid just kept talking. The strategy is simple enough. While I might not make my point by talking over you, I ensure you never make your point either. No win, no loss. About the only part of the debate that makes sense is the opening and closing remarks. At least the party leaders get to appeal for your vote and they get to speak without interruption. The rest of the format calls for a verbal knockout punch to claim victory. It’s just not there and we should not attempt to determine debate winners on who delivers the best line of the night. All this leads to a suggestion: let’s make a note of it for the next election. First of all, let’s drop this silly debate format in favour of something with a little more meat on it. I think a town-
hall meeting would be the better approach. Let’s invite non-aligned citizens to come into a studio and let them ask questions of the leaders directly. It might be a little too Phil Donahue for some, but it would do a couple of important things. Leaders would get a chance to answer questions properly and without interruption. It could still be timed and a moderator could control the watch and microphone. There should be just one hand-held microphone available to the leaders. There is no need to plan the questions. I think the format would be more exciting and more relevant if a fisherman got to ask questions about fishing, and a senior got to ask about pensions, etc. Let’s allow the leaders to not only hold a microphone, but also move around a little. My idea is to show leaders with passion versus leaders simply determined to talk over their opposition. It’s not a new idea. During the Bill Clinton/George Bush Sr. elections the town hall format was used to get effect,
and political pundits and viewers agreed it was much more effective than the shouting-match scenario. Allowing both men to walk around the dais while answering the audience’s questions was striking. They actually got to talk about policy, and with only one microphone between them the constant shouting was eliminated. The only way this kind of idea will come to fruition is if a political leader calls for change. The political parties should all welcome the chance to get their message out without the silly babble going on and on. We should challenge future political leaders and their party officials to be innovative and change the format for the leaders’ debate. Everyone agrees we need to raise the quality of debate within the political forum in Canada. Why not start in Newfoundland and Labrador? Randy Simms is host of VOCM’s Open Line radio program. rsimms@nf.sympatico.ca
‘People ... are telling me they want to see where the money went before they vote’ From page 1 Whalen was asked if that’s fair to voters, who might base their decision on the constituency expense claims of incumbent MHAs. “The people I’m talking to are behind me, they trust me and know I have nothing to hide.” As for Auditor General John Noseworthy, he’s not talking about his report, which lists dollar figures and atrocious spending by a handful of former MHAs, but falls short of listing the beneficiaries of all MHAs’ donations. Whalen, for example, was allotted $44,807 in constituency allowances during her three fiscal years as an MHA. She claimed nearly half of that money — $21,976 — as donations, but there appears to be no way of finding out where the money went, at least not before the election. Last week, The Independent published the complete list of 115 MHAs from 1989-90 to 2005-06, their constituency allowances, double-billings,
donations and alcohol expenses. There was an error, however, in Whalen’s numbers, with her donations inadvertently listed as double-billings. The amount of her double-billings is listed as $291. But even that has been attributed to an accounting error. Goodyear cited The Independent’s donations number during a campaign rally on Bell Island before the mistake was identified, and later apologized to Whalen publicly, including during VOCM’s Backtalk with Bill Rowe Sept. 25. But Goodyear also noted it might have been a good thing that the issue was brought to the fore; the fact that incumbents who gave donations might have an advantage over new candidates. Whalen then called Backtalk, accepting Goodyear’s apology and agreeing with a suggestion to release all her receipts and donation details to The Independent. Whalen now says the newspaper will have to wait until after the election.
In fact, no other MHAs have offered up their donation lists, either, despite House of Assembly Speaker Harvey Hodder saying they’re now free to do so. (See page 5.) And there was only brief mention of the spending scandal during the televised leaders’ debate Sept. 25. This week, The Independent specifically asked the auditor general’s office if it has a record of where MHAs directed their donations. The response was “yes.” (Noseworthy has already said this was an inappropriate use of constituency allowances. The correspondence was by e-mail, at the request of the AG’s office.) The Independent then asked if it could see or have a copy of the records. The response was “no.” Why not? “In accordance with section 21 and 22 of the Auditor General Act, the auditor general is not permitted to release this information,” was the reply.
“Was it solely the auditor general’s decision to withhold the information and not expand further — either in his report or now?” asked the newspaper. “The information and level of detail included in any report is and has been at the sole discretion of the auditor general,” was the answer. The Independent then noted that while the AG “is not permitted to release this information,” it is also “at the sole discretion” of the AG which information is released. The AG’s office had this response: “All of our audits involve gathering a large amount of data which is compiled and summarized in audit working papers. The audit results are reviewed by the auditor general who ultimately decides upon the information that is included in a public report. “Any information that the auditor general deems not to be included in a public report is considered part of the working papers in support of that report and, in accordance with section 21 and 22 of the act, cannot be
released.” Section 21 refers generally to privacy matters involving staff of the office and the AG’s discretion in choosing what can be released in connection with his duties. Section 22 reads: “Audit working papers of the office shall not be laid before the House of Assembly or a committee of the House.” Goodyear, meanwhile, says it may be “a blessing in disguise” that she quoted an error in the newspaper. “People at the door are telling me they want to see where the money went before they vote,” says Goodyear, a dentist in Chamberlains in Conception Bay South. “And at the risk of getting into trouble (with my party), I think I would like to know, too. The fact is I don’t know what I’m up against. I mean, what are they all hiding from? “I think their (the MHAs’) silence speaks volumes.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
SCRUNCHINS
Premier Danny Williams speaks to the media in NTV studios in St. John’s Sept. 25, immediately following the televised leaders’ debate. A writer in this week’s Maclean’s magazine asks when the premier will run federally.
A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia
K
ids say the darndest things, but they also cart home the darndest things from school. Students of the Eastern School District were issued a glossy pamphlet recently outlining details of benefits paid out under the accident insurance policy. When I say details, I mean vivid, gory details. Loss of both hands, both feet or the entire sight of both eyes, $20,000; loss of life, $10,000; loss of one hand and one foot, $15,000; loss of one hand and the entire sight of one eye, $15,000; loss of one arm or one leg, $10,000; loss of speech or hearing in both ears, $10,000; loss of one hand or one foot, $7,500; loss of the entire sight of one eye or thumb and index finger of one hand, $3,000; loss of hearing in one ear, $1,500; and loss of one finger, $750. If loss of a limb isn’t clear enough, the pamphlet explains how loss of a hand or foot means “complete severance through or above the wrist or ankle joint, but below the elbow or knee joint.” In the case of a finger, loss means “complete severance of two entire phalanges. Loss of speech: “complete and irrecoverable loss of the ability to utter intelligible sounds.” A group of Townie kids walking home from school recently, pamphlets open and in hand, were overheard debating which limb or digit they would be willing to part with for a cash reward, although the policy covers all potential loopholes. The insurance policy doesn’t cover any “intentionally selfinflicted injury while sane or selfinflicted injury while insane.” By the by, any loss as the result of war — “declared or undeclared” — isn’t covered either. Maybe we should sweep soccer fields for land mines. Maybe we should home school … SCHOOL OF THOUGHT According to Statistics Canada, an estimated 5.3 million students were enrolled in public schools across Canada in academic year 2004-05, a dip of almost two per cent from 1998-99. Alberta and Ontario were the only provinces that bucked the declining enrolment trend. The largest drop over that time frame — surprise, surprise —
took place right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the number of students fell 18.5 per cent (which explains the rise in Alberta’s numbers). In fact, the province’s Education Department estimates there were 74,300 students enrolled in the province’s K-12 system in 2006-07, the lowest number of students since 197172 when enrolment peaked at 162,000. Other education fast facts: 5,433 full-time teachers were on the job in 2006-07; 305 teachers retired in 2006 at an average age of 54; in September 2006 there were 285 public schools in the province (that compares to 781 in 1971 and 1,197 in 1944-45 … I’m a stats freak). The Education Department also points out that the ability to reduce the number of schools further is limited by geography and population distribution (unless everybody moves into Town and gets it over with). No worries, Danny’s $1,000 baby bonus should fill up school desks soon enough. Questions have been raised, however, whether Danny’s prepared to pay a portion of the $1,000 in advance — $50, say, for each attempt at conception — with the remainder to be paid upon delivery. Would that make us population whores … BLOODBATH ON ICE Newfoundland uncoupled schools from the churches in the mid-1990s, turning the education of youngsters on its head, from one that was denominational, to one that is not (private schools excluded). Ontario PC leader John Tory now wants to do the exact opposite, extending public funding to all religious schools — provided they follow the provincial curriculum — if elected in October. The Toronto Star carried a story in recent days, Newfoundland offers religious school lessons, in which former premier Roger Grimes commented on how the intense animosity between people of different faiths spilled onto the ice. “The hockey matches between Protestants and Catholics in Grand Falls where I grew up were legendary,” Grimes recalled. “These were wars on ice, and designed to be so. One of the highlights of the winter was to see the bloodbath.” No wonder parents were poor back
then. They couldn’t afford the insurance premiums to send their kids to school … DANNY CLONE Our provincial election is to be held on Oct. 9, one day before Ontario’s general election. While Prime Minister Stephen Harper played a high-profile role in last spring’s Quebec election, he’s not showing his face much in Ontario — or in Newfoundland and Labrador for that matter. It’s known far and wide that the premier is no friend of the PM’s, so could Danny actually give Harper a run for his money in terms of Canada’s top job? In its Oct. 1 edition, Maclean’s magazine carries a letter to the editor by Gavin Love of Lantzville, B.C. “When does he (Danny) want to go federal?” asks Love. “We need more leaders who think of their citizens rather than catering to big business.” Maybe Danny could clone himself, although it’s unclear whether a successful cloning would qualify for a baby bonus … CONCEIVABLE? A loyal Independent reader faxed along a new meaning for the Progressive Conservative acronym. PC — Please Conceive …
HARPER HITS Newfoundland comic Rick Mercer released a new book this week with a selection of his best rants from his CBC-TV show, the Rick Mercer Report. The book has an even more creative title — Rick Mercer Report: The Book. Mercer’s best quote on Harper — “I am proud that we live in a country where we can elect a prime minister whose entire experience dealing with foreign cultures was gleaned during a one-week stay at a Mexican all-inclusive.” In an Oct. 24, 2006 rant about our Danny’s relationship with the PM, Mercer had this to say: “Right now the relationship between Stephen Harper and Danny Williams is about as friendly as the one between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. I wouldn’t be surprised if at any minute Danny went totally Paul McCartney on us and tried to stab Harper in the leg with a broken wine glass.” It’s all funny until someone loses a leg … NEWFIE JOKE’S OVER The Globe and Mail carried an interesting article recently on the Rock’s “new separatists.” Headlined The Pink, White and Green flies again, the article by Roy MacGregor explored the resurgence of the old flag and the rise in nationalism. “It (the Pink, White and
Paul Daly/The Independent
Green) flies from vehicle windows and aerials the way hockey-team banners snap in the wind of other Canadian cities,” MacGregor wrote. “The talk has been scrappy, but action is rare, the worst being a small concern this summer over attacks on vehicles bearing out-of-province plates — the most embarrassing being minor damage to a BMW with Quebec plates, the treasured car of local hero and Montreal Canadiens hockey star Michael Ryder.” MacGregor wrote of an increasingly insistent notice that Newfoundlanders will no longer tolerate “being dismissed as newfies, will no longer quaintly kiss the cod, and most assuredly, will no longer stand for being the butt of the familiar Canadian joke.” Just as long as we keep laughing at ourselves … TONGUE LASHING Angus Phillips, a columnist with the Washington Post, wrote a wicked piece this week, A Newfoundland adventure to remember, about a recent visit aboard a sailing boat to such south coast outports as LaPoile, Grand Bruit, Ramea, Jerts Cove and Francois. His best line: “Codfish tongues, by the way, are the size of a poker chip and sweet as ice cream.” Sweeter, I say … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Sex assault stats on par Increased fear attributed to frequency and nature of attacks By Brian Callahan The Independent
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hree recent sexual assaults in St. John’s are troubling and give the appearance of a spike in such serious offences. But the truth is statistics for this year are consistent with years past, says Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Joe Browne. “First and foremost, one sexual assault is too many,” Browne tells The Independent during an interview in his RNC headquarters office at Fort Townshend in the capital city. “I know that’s a cliché, but it’s true. But actually, no, there haven’t really been more of these incidents this year. Our numbers, year over year, are fairly steady and consistent.” In 2006, there were 120 sexual assault complaints in the RNC’s northeast Avalon jurisdiction. So far this year, there have been 99. Nor has the overall seriousness of sex attacks changed, police say. “In terms of severity or types of assaults — other than a couple of things in the most recent ones involving the location and in daylight — the types of complaints haven’t changed much at all over the years in my time here,” says Browne, who has been with the force for almost quarter of a century. He was named deputy chief in September 2001 and appointed chief in March 2006. He acknowledges there might seem like more incidents, and they may appear more brazen, but that’s due in large part to their frequency. “Three in three months versus three in nine months; if you have a number of
RNC Chief Joe Browne
offences compressed in a short period of time, like armed robberies for example, it can appear like there’s more, but when you look at the 12-month picture year over year, they tend to level out. “That’s not to lessen the seriousness. These are very serious sexual assaults, but they are no more unusual or different than in the past. I think it’s just that we’re dealing with three in a short period of time,” Browne adds. He’s referring to the incidents on Circular Road in July, on Thorburn Road in August, and last week under a footbridge between Baird Place and Prince Philip Drive. No arrests have been made, and
Paul Daly/The Independent
Browne defends the need to keep details of the investigations under wraps. It’s crucial investigators protect their “exclusive knowledge” of a case, which can ultimately be the difference between a conviction or an acquittal. “There are things that occur between the victim and the offender that would only be known by them,” he says. “So if anything like that is released publicly, that’s no longer good evidence or of value in court, if and when we make an arrest, because then everybody knows it. “That exclusive knowledge can help us establish the veracity of the complaint and if we are fortunate enough to
make an arrest, that can turn it (in the victim’s favour) in court. “It also helps us deal with tips. We can be flooded with tips, but in many cases it’s only what people got from the news.” Shelly England, the victim in the Circular Road attack, went public last week, revealing disturbing details of her horrific experience. Browne says while that’s not encouraged, citing the exclusive knowledge factor, the victim’s well-being always comes first. “We will suggest for them not to go public, but we can’t stop them either. Nor should we be able to. It is a free society,” he says. “It was of her own volition and we respect that. “Did it set back the case? It’s too early to tell, but I don’t think so. The flip side, of course, is if this helps the victim deal with it, come to grips with it, then who are we to say? Ultimately, it’s the victim, their well-being, their safety, and their healing … that’s paramount. “And if we can also catch the offender, then that would be the ideal scenario.” Meantime, Browne says investigators are “working feverishly” on the most recent sexual assault near Memorial University. “And it might be a little optimistic, but I think in a day or two we might have a little more to say about this one.” The police chief was asked if the brazen nature of the recent daytime sex attacks raised eyebrows in the police force. “Well, they are unusual in our juris-
diction. They are rare, as far as time of day, location, the fact these seem to be strangers. It does make them different than others we’ve dealt with. So that, in and of itself, has its challenges for us. “But you also have to remember that until we find the offender, we really can’t say what the relationship was to the victim. So are they random attacks? We just don’t know.” Any investigation, Browne notes, tends to go one of three ways. “It either occurred exactly as reported, it occurred but there are some inaccuracies, and in some cases it never occurred at all,” he says. So is it possible any of the three recent attacks were made up? “Well, a sexual assault is traumatic enough. You never want to accuse a potential victim of lying. But yes, the possibility is always there.” Investigations always begin under the premise people are telling the truth, Browne says. “And we go from there. In some cases it’s clear from the start — one way or the other. Others are not, and facts need to be cleared up. It’s very much like putting a puzzle together. And you have to be careful not to frustrate them because they may just clam up. So you have to show empathy for what they’re going through.” Brown says it’s still too early to say if any of the three most recent sexual assault complaints are completely accurate, somewhat accurate or even false. “We’re still very much at the stage of gathering all the information, interviewing people, and canvassing neighbourhoods,” he says. brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
Loyola Hearn.
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘Game of chicken’ Hearn says 50-50 chance of fall federal election By Ivan Morgan The Independent
He says it will be a spring election, as the Conservative MP is still not convinced the Liberals are willing to risk an election, given the he province’s representative in the federal current state of their leadership. cabinet, Loyola Hearn, offers even odds The Liberals would be “slaughtered” this fall, there will be a fall federal election. says Hearn, “and they know it.” He says they’re “My betting right now, it’s 50not ready, don’t have the funds, 50,” the St. John’s South-Mount and are plagued with leadership Pearl MP tells The Independent. woes. He says beleaguered “Sometimes it’s a None of the federal parties Liberal leader Stéphane Dion wants a fall election, says doesn’t want an election, but game of chicken. Hearn, least of all his party — perhaps those who want to get Nobody wants it, the Conservatives — who he rid of him do. says would like more time to The Bloc Quebecois are in but I’ll depend on the freefall implement the changes they are in Quebec, says Hearn, bringing to government. and may decide “today is just as other guy to save Hearn, the federal Fisheries good as tomorrow.” my bacon. And that’s minister, predicts his party “Why would any other party would win, although he says a want it?” he asks. why I say 50-50.” fall election might result in Bonavista-Gander-Grand another minority. Falls-Windsor MP Scott Simms Loyola Hearn All three Opposition parties laughs at the notion the Liberals would have to vote together to have no appetite for a federal bring the Conservatives down, election. but with sabre-rattling on the rise, Hearn says that He says he has a message for Doyle. could happen. A former member of the now “If he’s banking on me to support him then I defunct federal Progressive Conservative party, suggest that he’d better think again.” Hearn was instrumental in brokering the merging If the Conservatives don’t want a fall election, of his old party with the Canadian Alliance to says Simms, they had better fix the Atlantic form the Conservative Party of Canada, which Accord and declare custodial management. now governs as a minority government. Hearn says his government does not want a fall “Sometimes it’s a game of chicken. Nobody election — but if the other parties threaten one, he wants it, but I’ll depend on the other guy to save says it will be “a bring-it-on type of thing.” my bacon. And that’s why I say 50-50.” St. John’s East MP Norm Doyle is not so sure. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
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SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
Harvey Hodder
Paul Daly/The Independent
Ban lifted
Hodder says MHAs free to release constituency expense details By Brian Callahan The Independent
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he Speaker of the House of Assembly has lifted his restriction on MHAs voluntarily releasing their constituency expense claims. “The ban is gone. There is no longer anything preventing them from doing so,” Harvey Hodder tells The Independent. “I do caution them, however, that if they choose to release that information to the media, that they make sure they do not inadvertently identify an innocent individual.” For example, Hodder cites a family member, or a child who may have received a donation for some worthy cause or trip. In July 2006, shortly after the auditor general said his review of constituency allowances had ended, The Telegram e-mailed 45 members of the House who were not part of the AG’s report, asking them to release their claims. At the time, Hodder said he advised MHAs not to oblige because the information might become part of a police investigation. There was a police investigation, and charges have been laid against five people — former MHAs Ed
“I do caution them, however, that if they choose to release that information to the media, that they make sure they do not inadvertently identify an innocent individual.” Harvey Hodder
Byrne, Jim Walsh, Randy Collins and Wally Andersen, as well as Bill Murray, the former director of financial operations at the House. The RNC has since confirmed their investigation is complete and no other charges are pending. Hodder, a Tory who is not running for re-election in his Waterford Valley district but will remain as Speaker until a new one is chosen, said it’s now up to individual MHAs to decide what to do with their records. “It’s for them to judge now,” he
says, “if a member has that kind of data. Technically, there is nothing stopping them. But again, they should be well aware that if they do go down that road, to respect the rights and privacy of others.” There may be nothing stopping MHAs on paper, but they will be given guidelines on releasing information before Oct. 10, Hodder says. That’s the day after the election, but also the day the recommendations of the Green report come into effect. “Within the next few weeks we will be giving them some further direction on that process,” says Hodder, who has been Speaker since Nov. 12, 2003. He was also asked if it’s fair to voters that current MHAs won’t have to abide by new rules for openness until after the election. “That’s something I can’t comment on.” So far, not one MHA has offered his or her receipts or list of individual donations to the media. Nor will Hodder — for now. “I will, in due course. If I start doing that (now), it puts a lot of pressure on other MHAs,” he says. “Even if I were running again … because I have nothing to gain, nothing to lose and nothing to hide.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
‘Leave the bloody fuehrer well out of it’ S
hedding light on dark corners … that’s what we of the journalistic community are pledged to do. For example, in the current election campaign, a big smoke and little fire was raised when a certain Jim Combden of the quaintly cobbled NewWes-Valley used the word “Fuehrer” in connection with our leader, Danny Williams. Well, up she went. Much umbrage was taken by our doughty leader and his chief lieutenants. It was an outrage to call Danny the leader in German when we have a perfectly good word for it in English … next thing they’ll be calling the Volkswagen something foreign. No one saw fit to ask Mr. Combden if he’d taken German as a second language at school, for instance. Or if perhaps a Disney propaganda film from the Second World War … in which Donald Duck thoroughly bested Hitler … had left a strong impression on him. Or perhaps this is the kind of election campaign where there’s nothing better to talk about. Let it be so. There is still much to be learned about the workings of the human mind. I know, for example, that mine is still a great mystery to me. Mr. Combden, being perhaps no more or no less acute on this point than the rest of us, may have had the campaign slogan of the Progressive Conservative Party, more popularly known as “The Williams Team,” stored in his frontal lobes: “The future is ours.” While in the rear a singularly similar slogan may have reposed: “Tomorrow belongs to me.” This latter is erroneously supposed to be the anthem of the Hitler Youth, an organization to which His Current Holiness, the Pope, and many others yet living once belonged. Here again,
RAY GUY
A Poke In The Eye fact and fiction intertwine. We must bring the award-winning motion picture Cabaret into the mix. Starring the inimitable Liza Minnelli as “Sally” and based on a novel by the late Christopher Isherwood. At one point in the film, a boy soprano, gradually revealed to be one of Hitler’s Youth sings: “Oh, fatherland, fatherland, show us the sign your children have waited to see. The morning will come when the world is mine; tomorrow belongs to me!” “The future is ours.” Both slogans are equally stirring but, of course, it is downright silly to imagine a clean-cut specimen of the Newfoundland Tories stirring a rally with an anthem based on the latter. Silly, yes, but after a long hard day on the trail … Christian charity is all I’m aiming for in the matter of Combden, the Fuehrer and Danny. No, no, no! I nearly caught myself in the same cleftstick — leave the bloody fuehrer well out of it. The leader, I mean the premier, I mean Danny Williams, seems to have collected more nicknames and titles than any other in living memory. Dan the Man. Dapper Danny. King Danny. Danny the Dictator. Even his diminutive Danny, presumably of his own choosing, harks back to a certain “Joey” of a short time past. Danny, never Daniel. Danny, connoting to some a young Danny in baggy shorts on a skateboard. Or Danny Boy sung to the haunting Londonderry air and an extreme example of Irish schmaltz. If he was known as Daniel,
would there be as many large-breasted ladies grappling on to him by every stop and wayside? Market research will tell you that a certain class of full-chested female supporter will want to grab and squeeze a “Danny” whereas they will tend to hold back and perhaps flutter their fingertips affectionately at a “Dan.” If it was “Gerald” Reid leading the Liberals I expect Ms. Michael would constitute the entire opposition after the election. On the other hand, casting a bilious eye on all this Danny-idolatry, there’s the example of the open-line caller who wondered if it was “Jesus Williams” or “Danny Christ.” We sense a certain frustration here common to those who view the election as a shoo-in. If it’s any comfort, nearly all Newfoundland elections tend to be shoo-ins. “Democracy” came only in 1949 and the mould was set by 20-plus years of near-dictatorship. There’s not much concept yet of government in which it “takes two to tango,” in which two or more political parties have a role to play in the honourable House, in which several more evenly matched parties may be messier in their work but will hammer out better governance together in the long run. Looking back, it’s been one-party ruling supreme until it rots and collapses under its own weight and the other crowd waiting in the wings falls de facto into the space. For all we talk about politics we’re not yet up to speed. If Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition was no more useful than tits on a side of bacon, I’m sure Her Majesty would have let us know, long before now. But we must live in hope lest we die in despair. Cheers for tomorrow! Or as those Germans so foppishly put it, seig heil. Ray Guy’s column returns Oct. 26.
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007 resources; a seat at the table, and help build our energy corporation. By way of example a five per cent share of $4 billion would be $200 million.
By Ivan Morgan The Independent
O
n Aug. 30 Liberal Leader Gerry Reid released an open letter to Premier Danny Williams listing 13 questions related to the Hebron memorandum of understanding (MOU). The Independent submitted the same questions to the premier on Sept. 11. Williams said he would not respond through the media, but answer Reid directly. The Independent asked local experts answer the questions the best way they could, and published their responses Sept. 14. The premier replied to Reid in a fax received by the Liberal party Sept. 17. The Liberals released those answers to The Independent on Sept. 25. Printed below are the premier’s responses, edited for space. 1. Why is your government refusing to release the MOU? The MOU contains commercially sensitive information and details must remain confidential so as not to compromise the project’s competitive process. 2. Why did you agree to freeze the royalty rate paid by the oil companies at one per cent until payout? That was an offer made to the oil companies under the Grimes administration as an incentive to get the Hebron project moving. The Grimes administration offer did not include a provision for additional royalties or equity and no specific commitments on benefits. By keeping the basic royalty rate at one per cent until simple payout, we offer the proponents limited “downside protection.” The generic regime has four steps for basic royalty — 1, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 per cent. Projects move through those steps based on either cost recovery or volumes produced. This deal eliminates one step — the 2.5 per cent step — and the “volumes produced” trigger. The project moves through the remaining steps based on cost recovery. The change to basic royalty means that in the unlikely event oil prices drop, we would delay increases in basic royalty rates until the proponents had recouped their project development costs. At current prices, we see simple payout very quickly, in which case this basic royalty rate change has limited effect. At current prices, projects move through the basic rates so fast that they could skip the 2.5 per cent step. In exchange for downside protection, we negotiated a super royalty of 6.5 per cent to be paid on top of generic royalty rates after net payout occurs when prices go above $50 US (WT)(flat) a barrel. We believe this is a good benefit for the people of the
7. How long will it take for government to recover its up-front investment? That depends on the price of oil, the cost of construction and a number of other factors. We are confident that it will be a worthwhile investment. If the price of oil remains high as it is projected to, we should move to simple payout — the point where the proponents recover their upfront costs — very quickly. We are now one of the proponents.
Premier Danny Williams, with Kathy Dunderdale, minister of Natural Resources in the background, takes questions Aug. 22 from the media at a press conferance announcing the details of the memorandum of understanding with industry partners to develop the Hebron oil field. Paul Daly/The Independent
Premier answers Reid 3. How much money has been left on the table by compromising on the royalty regime and allowing a one per cent payment until payout? The details of project economics are commercially sensitive. At current prices, the small change we provided to basic royalty has a very small negative effect for the province, but the super royalty and
equity have a much larger positive effect. 4. What will the province lose in royalties if the price of oil, after payout has been reached, is less than $50 a barrel? Oil prices are currently above US$80. Most analysts don’t anticipate an oil price below $50 over the timeframe we are looking at. Of course, anything can happen, so we have worked that into our analysis. The province won’t lose. It just won’t make as much as Tier 3 won’t kick in. In the event the oil prices drop below $50 a barrel, the generic royalty regime still applies, and Tier I royalty rates of 20 per cent and Tier II royalty rates of 30 per cent continue to apply to the project. Noted: The “super royalty” applies
9. Apart from the GBS, what percentage of other fabrication work will be completed in this province? We estimate 100 per cent of the GBS and as much topsides work as fabrication yards, facilities and workforce can reasonably accommodate will be completed here. 10. How much of the FEED (frontend engineering and design) and other detailed engineering work will be completed in this province? That information was released on the day of the announcement. 11. How large will the Gravity Based Structure (GBS) be in comparison to Hibernia? The size and scope of this GBS is being designed to suit this particular field.
Opposition leader’s 13 Hebron questions answered by Williams
province, which is why we were prepared to wait 16 months to get it. On top of that, we also negotiated a 4.9 per cent equity share in the project. So, even when basic royalty rate is at one per cent, we will be seeing a revenue stream from the project as our 4.9 per cent of the oil produced and sold on the market. In addition, we also negotiated significant benefits commitments for the province.
8. What risks has the province been exposed to related to liabilities such as environmental clean-ups or cost overruns because of the equity position? We have assessed the risks as part of the overall assessment of the project and they have been addressed in our analysis.
oil is above $50US. That trigger does not escalate over time. It is $50 today and $50 in 2025, although $50 is 2025 is worth far less than that in today’s dollars. 5. When will the project reach payout? We are not in the position to release our thorough analysis, as it contains commercially sensitive information. We are confident that this is a good deal for the province at a broad range of oil prices. 6. How much will government have to invest in up-front costs related to the 4.9 per cent equity position? We are purchasing equity for $110 million and we will pay 4.9 per cent of development costs as they are incurred, like other partners. This will give the province more control of
12. How much of the topsides work will be completed in this province and where? All fabrication work will be completed in the province, subject to reasonable capacity and human resource availability. The lone exception to this is the fabrication of the utilities/process module, which will be internationally bid. Companies in the province have the opportunity to bid on this module if they have the capacity to handle the work. We’ve negotiated a package of benefits that should ensure our yards are operating to capacity. 13. How much work will Marystown get? All fabrication yards will be able to bid on the work. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
‘Lamentable failure’ Baby bonus program tried and tossed in Quebec By Mandy Cook The Independent
P
remier Danny Williams’ offer of $1,000 for every child born or adopted in Newfoundland and Labrador may have caught the attention of the province’s childbearing couples — but after almost a decade Quebec tossed a similar incentive out with the bathwater. If re-elected on Oct. 9, Williams promises $1,000 for any child born or adopted in Newfoundland and Labrador in an effort to boost the province’s plummeting population. In addition, parental leave Employment Insurance benefits will be topped up an extra $100 per month. Williams says the financial incentives, as well as increased daycare spaces, are meant to be part of an overall strategy to encourage families to grow, stating on the campaign trail: “We can’t be a dying race.” A similar baby bonus strategy was introduced in Quebec in 1988, initiated by thenFinance minister Gérard Lévesque who stated, “The fall in birth rates is a sign of a peo-
ple in decline.” The policy paid parents $500 for the birth of the first child, $500 for the second, and $3,000 for the third. By 1992, the benefit grew to $500 for the first child, $1,000 for the second and $8,000 for the third. All the money was tax-free. Although some studies suggest 93,000 babies born during the period 1989-1996 can be chalked up to the program, it was axed in 1997, with the provincial government stating the initiative was “a lamentable failure.” The problem of population decline lies with whether or not the fertility rate goes up high enough, says Memorial University economist Dr. Doug May. “The issue is that it won’t overcome the problem because the amount that the fertility rate is increased by is a quarter of a child per woman,” he says. “To overcome the problem four women would need to have an extra child.” The fertility rate of the province’s childbearing couples would have to increase to 2.11 in order to replace those Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are dying. Based on today’s population numbers,
May calculates, the fertility rate would still only stand at 1.25, or a quarter of a child per mother. “If you put the foot on the gas pedal, does the car go faster? Does it increase the speed of the engine? Yes. Does it mean it overcomes the problem? No. It goes faster, but not fast enough.” Even with Quebec’s generous third-child incentive, May says, the province’s birth rate still only went as high as 1.52 — still not enough to replace dying Quebecers. He says in both provinces’ situations there was and will be some increase in the fertility rate, but not enough to slow the declining population. May predicts that without quality and available daycare, the birth rate will keep decreasing. However, even with accessible and affordable daycare, the desired increased birth rate is still not a guarantee. “To what extent will the cost of daycare go up? Will it overcome the problem? I’m thinking unless someone comes up with some very strong evidence, probably not.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
‘Integration is very beneficial’ From page 1
Provincial NDP leader Lorraine Michael with federal party leader Jack Layton.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Political diplomacy Provincial election has Conservative MPs watching ABCs; Liberals their Ps and Qs By Ivan Morgan The Independent
C
ampaigning for their provincial political counterparts can be complicated, according to federal MPs. Members of Parliament contacted by The Independent say it requires tact, diplomacy and a keen understanding of the political lay of the land. One Liberal MP goes so far as to endorse a provincial Tory incumbent seeking re-election. Scott Simms, MP for BonavistaGander-Grand Falls-Windsor says if he lived in Bonavista “he would be hard pressed to vote against Roger Fitzgerald.” He says he has worked closely with the Bonavista South Tory incumbent, and says he’s a “very good” MHA. With eight out of 10 districts in his riding painted Tory blue, Simms has to practise political diplomacy. He says he campaigned for provincial Liberal
leader Gerry Reid in his district of The Isles of Notre Dame to return a favour — he says Reid was a great help to him in his first federal campaign. But he says no disrespect was intended to Tory challenger Derrick Dalley. Liberal Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte MP Gerry Byrne echoes Simms, saying a lot of his support comes from provincial Tories. That may be understandable, he says, given Tory premier Danny Williams’ threat to campaign ABC — Anything But Conservative — in the next federal election. Provincial Progressive Conservatives, says Byrne, are not federal Conservatives. The ABC threat may be a factor in explaining why no Progressive Conservative candidate in his riding has asked for his help, says St. John’s East Conservative MP Norm Doyle. He says another factor is the commanding lead the Tories hold — they simply don’t need him. He says the Danny Williams government is going
to be elected by a huge margin. “I prefer to think that I am just not needed,” Doyle tells The Independent. Federal Fisheries Minister and St. John’s South-Mount Pearl MP Loyola Hearn says the ABC initiative is the premier’s own, and not necessarily embraced by his candidates. All the Tory candidates in his riding have been offered his assistance, says Hearn. He says he has talked to some of them, but won’t give The Independent their names. Hearn says candidates like Sheila Osborne, Tom Osborne, Dave Denine, Steve Kent, John Dinn and Keith Hutchings are “cruising.” “All of them will win easy victories. I don’t know why they would want me knocking on doors,” he laughs. He says the only tough call will be Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, where NDP leader Lorraine Michael faces PC Maria Afonso. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Opportunity Communications Technician
3 Temporary Positions – 3 Year Period (1 Full Time and 2 Part Time Positions) Location: Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Department of Justice, Labrador West DUTIES: Communications Technicians, including 911 responsibilities, will have primary contact with the general public in both French and English. Reporting to a senior police officer, you will receive non-emergency and emergency (including 911) telephone calls for assistance. Personnel will have both the authority and responsibility to dispatch persons to emergency and non emergency situations who are engaged in work for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Fire Departments, Ambulance, Search and Rescue and other partner agencies. From relevant information obtained from the caller, the call for service is prioritized and inputted into a computer data base for assignment to the appropriate public safety personnel for follow-up. You will document and record information as required, perform information searches (queries) for Police Officers and authorized personnel via several police computer systems. In addition to call-taker and query duties, there is a requirement to operate the operational or administrative radio consoles and to serve as receptionist assisting public in front lobby and keeping various lists and logs updated. You will be required to dispatch calls for service in accordance with policy, coordinate additional assistance as necessary and maintain the current status of all police units as reported by the officer. All of these duties couple with verbal translation between French and English will require the candidate to be functional bilingual. The work environment has periods of intense activity requiring technicians to exercise independent judgment, and exhibit tact and diplomacy. QUALIFICATIONS: In both official languages the candidate must be multi-tasked, with ability to do and listen to several things at one time; Considerable experience as a communicator, with telephone/radio contact with the general public in demanding circumstances, preferably in a policing/emergency related environment. The ability to verbally translate from one official language to another is essential. Experience in keeping logs, note taking and attention to detail is preferred. A positive attitude, excellent attention to detail, a sense of urgency and the ability to juggle multiple tasks at once is required. Post secondary education or training is required. Excellent oral communication skills, dependability, decisiveness, good judgment and the ability to react positively in a stress situation are highly desirable personal characteristics. Computer familiarization and keyboarding speed of 35 wpm is required. These qualifications are normally attained through directly related training and experience. Shift work (24/7) including statutory holidays and weekends. Fulltime Position Midnight – 8 a.m. week days with Part time positions being 12 hour weekend shifting. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources. SALARY: $32,905.60 - $36,418.20 (GS 27) COMPETITION #: J.C.CT(t).07.038 - P CLOSING DATE: October 9, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: This position is open to both male and female. Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* In order to ensure your application/resume is processed appropriately, the job competition number MUST be indicated. * Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by e-mail, postal mail or fax. (If faxing, DO NOT send a duplicate copy). Late applications with acceptable explanation may be considered. * For additional information on this position, call (709) 637-4107 2007 09 21
“I had no friends. My sister was the only friend I had,” she says. “I wanted to go somewhere else, not only because of the struggle to keep up in class, but the isolation of being the only deaf person in the town. NSD allows deaf people to meet each other, and share stories. “If I didn’t go to NSD when I was 12, I wouldn’t have learned sign language. If I didn’t learn sign language, it would mean interpreters in the future would be pointless … if it wasn’t for NSD, I wouldn’t be in high school right now, I wouldn’t have the drive to finish. It would have been just too hard trying to lip read everything and keep up. NSD takes care of that worry.” This year, Marsh says she was “told” she would have to go to Gonzaga High School for certain courses, including physics and math, that weren’t being taught at her school. She says she’s already falling behind, that there isn’t enough support available to make the mainstream a comfortable choice for her. When the school opened 20 years ago, Burke says it was operating at or near capacity. But times, and trends, are changing. Between the introduction of cochlear implants — which allow many to hear again — an over-
all declining birthrate in the province, and the move towards integration, enrolment has fallen to its current low. Burke says government’s first choice would be to allow each student to remain in his or her home community or neighbourhood school, with the necessary learning supports — not be a student at the School for the Deaf. “At most levels, integration is very beneficial,” says Burke. “We’re at a point where parents are just not prepared to have their students segregated and not have supports offered in their local schools.” But, she emphasizes, there are still things the school offers that can’t be had anywhere else in the province. “We have 26 students and 13 staff, but we do need to be able to meet the needs of these children. Unless we have the appropriate supports in place we’ll absolutely need the school. “There are still some people, some parents and some students who feel very strongly that they’re in the best possible environment … so there’s still a very strong commitment from some families that they feel the service they’re receiving at the School for the Deaf is the best option for their children.” Burke says she will support these parents in their decision. stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Blackout I
n case you missed it, the political machine is stalling when it comes to the release of information relating to the spending scandal. The well-oiled machine (oily, for short) is holding off until after the provincial election (if then even) because the details — which is where the devil hangs his cap — could threaten the careers of almost three dozen incumbent MHAs. In my experience, when politicians block the release of information it’s because they have something to hide. To use the words of Justice Derek Green, who conducted a review of MHA compensation, one of the “antidotes” to the lack of confidence and public suspicion is to “shine light into the darkness” by giving access to information. Only our political darkness is as black as ever. As black as sin. Ask yourself this: why wouldn’t the political powers that be want the public to have a complete breakdown of MHA constituency allowance spending, including receipts for meals, drinks, travel, accommodations, Chardonnays of choice and after-dinner Cohibas?
RYAN CLEARY
Fighting Newfoundlander Why wouldn’t incumbent MHAs want it widely known where they donated thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money? Did even a single MHA claim a donation on their income tax? That wouldn’t look good — no b’y, it wouldn’t. The thing about donations is that they could be seen as a way to curry favour with the electorate. A politician could use a pot of donation cash as a tool to help remain in office, to buy votes — that’s the simple truth of it. The 34 incumbents from all parties who are running in the Oct. 9 election spent just over $560,000 in donations over their terms in office. That’s a hell of a lot of curry. Now ask yourself another question: if you were a first-time candidate in this election, running against an incumbent who spread taxpayers’ money like water around their district, wouldn’t you want to see their donation list? Ask yourself this: how many votes
could $560,000 buy? From an editor’s perspective, it would be worth interviewing freshfaced candidates for their perspective on whether incumbent MHAs have an election advantage. Only most new candidates won’t touch the topic with a placard stick. Why? Because if they came down on an incumbent MHA for their donation spending it would indirectly knock the political parties — including their own. Everyone’s implicated, remember? As a result, no one will speak. Although that’s not quite true. The Independent printed a complete breakdown last week of the constituency allowance spending of the 115 MHAs who served in office between 1989-90 and 2005-2006. Only The Independent made an error in the case of Dianne Whalen, MHA for Conception Bay East-Bell Island and minister of Government Services (see page 1 story). Whalen’s Liberal opponent, Dr. Linda Goodyear, went after Whalen based on the incorrect numbers that appeared in the paper. (Our apologies to Whalen and Goodyear.) But the controversy raised a broader point — Goodyear later acknowledged that incumbents who gave donations
might have an advantage over new candidates. Goodyear turned out to be a breath of fresh air. In a telephone exchange this week on VOCM’s afternoon radio call-in program, host Bill Rowe pressed Whalen as to whether she was prepared to release to The Independent copies of her constituency allowance receipts, as well as a breakdown of where the donations went. Whalen agreed. Contacted later by The Independent, Whalen said she was too busy to release the information, saying she may do so after the election. That’s not good enough. Not nearly good enough. A spokeswoman for Danny Williams office told The Independent this week that the premier would not direct MHAs to release their information. That’s not good enough either, especially since the premier himself has spread almost $36,000 in donations around his district of Humber West. As for the AG’s office, John Noseworthy has dropped off the face of the planet. His silence is the most upsetting. Don’t bother to ask Noseworthy whether he’s been muzzled, he won’t respond. The Independent has been pounding
away on the scandal, although most of the other media have not. To be fair, the resources of the province’s news organizations are tied up covering the election. At the same time, only a single question was softly lobbed at the three political leaders during this week’s televised debate. The scandal should be front and centre. It is not. Politicians — even retired ones — won’t speak publicly about the scandal. “Everyone has something to hide,” a political warhorse told me this week. “It’s a waste of time pursuing the story … you can’t win.” Returning to Green’s report, the Supreme Court Justice wrote that in his view the House of Assembly should be subject to access to information laws to allow for public accessibility to information concerning members’ allowances. “It is a best practice,” Green wrote. “The time is right.” The problem is that the time is not right — not two weeks before an election — for the politicians who rule the land. We should all be afraid of the dark. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
YOUR VOICE Why newfie ‘so deeply offends’ Dear editor, Re: Newfie nourishment (Sept. 14 edition). Of all the publications in the world, never did I think The Independent would employ the word newfie while reporting the news. Why use it when the proper term Newfoundlander (or Newfoundlander and/or
Labradorian) is freely available and offends no one? Is it time to look at the term: where it came from, who uses it, and with what intent, and consider why it so deeply offends some people? Suzanne Norman Burnaby, B.C.
An ‘extra thrill’ in Trinity Dear editor, I was delighted as usual to be able to have your paper to read. I call it the informative and to-the-point paper. Seeing the piece on The Nobleman’s Wedding (Pamela Morgan’s folk opera, appearing on stage in Trinity this fall, from the article, ‘The joy of the fall’, Sept. 21 edition) was an extra thrill as I just came from Trinity and that very play. As always when we’re in the Trinity area we like to catch a play. We had no knowledge of what play was being performed, but we were sure it would be something great, as is the custom of Rising Tide. Being CFAs from the west coast of the island we took a chance on the availability of tickets for the evening show. We heard earlier that a cruise ship was in and the tickets were sold out. Through the kind-hearted and
ever-helpful staff at the last moment we were provided with the tickets we sought. We were treated to a delightful play, a folk opera by the incredible, very talented, and accomplished Pamela Morgan, which was done with the traditional Newfoundland songs we grew up around. The music was performed by Pamela, Kelly Russell and Mark White, and if I wasn’t aware of their presence I would have strongly believed an orchestra was performing the musical score. What’s a play without actors? These actors had it all. You’re right — another masterpiece all round. Congrats to Donna Butt and staff for another stellar year. What I call another amazing achievement. George Tucker, Norris Point
‘Your paper has outdone itself’ Dear editor, What could be better than a new book by Bernice Morgan? Well, nothing. But an interview with Ms. Morgan by Susan Rendell. Well, your paper has outdone itself. Agnes Walsh, St. John’s
Bernice Morgan
‘I still have the scars of abuse’ Dear editor, I still hear incidents of bullying. I hate it. I hate racism. What can be done? How does a victimized person deal with it? Where can a person obtain guidance? I was once a victim of bullying. I was bullied because of my ethnic background. I went to school in a small friendly town and a few bad apples pestered me. You see one of my parents came from a foreign country and because of it I was called names that
hurt and chilled me through the bone — names such as Nazi. I would get into fights. Friends would come along and people who pitied me would help me out. However, if caught alone I would be in trouble. When I got older and looked for work I was too shy to talk to an employer or look at his/her face or even talk to a woman. So bullying and racism partially destroys a person’s life. I still have the scars of abuse. I didn’t feel I had any courage to face a new
Whales aren’t for the killing?
‘Ignorant’ of the NL facts
Dear editor, I read The Independent article on the “speculation” that whaling may resume in Canada (Whales for the killing?, June 8 edition, by Ivan Morgan). If you’re going to make such claims, you really should find some people who speculate such, and
Dear editor, People up here are very ignorant of the fact that Newfoundland and Labrador has given much more to the Canadian federation than she has received. I’d like to have some facts to back up my arguments. For example, what countries did Canada sign trade deals with after the 200-mile limit was
not just those who say there is no interest or inquiries into the idea. In fact, as written, your article should have been titled, Whales for the killing? No, not in Canada. James Gibbon, Cleveland, Ohio
implemented, and what manufacturing companies in Ontario and Quebec benefited from those deals? I’ve heard about Bombardier, are there more? If anyone at your paper can help me out on this I would appreciate it. Gary Casey, Guelph, Ont. (formerly from Conche)
Rooms should showcase media landscape AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
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The Independent is published by Independent News Ltd. in St. John’s. It is an independent newspaper covering the news, issues and current affairs that affect the people of Newfoundland & Labrador.
PUBLISHER Brian Dobbin EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Cleary MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Porter PICTURE EDITOR Paul Daly PRODUCTION MANAGER John Andrews ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sandra Charters CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Dave Tizzard
sales@theindependent.ca • production@theindependent.ca • circulation@theindependent.ca All material in The Independent is copyrighted and the property of The Independent or the writers and photographers who produced the material. Any use or reproduction of this material without permission is prohibited under the Canadian Copyright Act. • © 2007 The Independent • Canada Post Agreement # 40871083
The Independent welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words in length or less and include full name, mailing address and daytime contact numbers. Letters may be edited for length, content and legal considerations. Send your letters in care of The Independent, P.O. Box 5891, Station C, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5X4 or e-mail us at editorial@theindependent.ca
Editor’s note: the following letter was sent to Megan Williams, director of The Rooms, with a copy forwarded to The Independent. Dear Madam, I very much enjoyed The Rooms during my first ever visit to Newfoundland and particularly the Finest Kind: Objects of Identity exhibit. I was, however, surprised to find out that your medias and flags were not featured as such objects in “speaking to the richness and diversity of the many stories that have helped to shape the identities of the people in the province.” I have discovered during my stay, for instance, a most insightful newspaper called The Independent. It was a refreshing read and nicely highlighted the heritage of your tricolour flag proudly displayed throughout Newfoundland. The avail-
ability of CBC and Radio-Canada radio services were too precious during my touring. I also found an alternative francophone press called Le Gaboteur further telling me about your province’s diversity. My visit to Newfoundland was after all inspired by the sometimes forgotten identity of the Port au Port francophone peninsula where I spent my 50th birthday rejuvenating on fresh air from the Atlantic. I look forward to finding out about a future exhibit better showcasing the media landscape of Newfoundland along with its flags. The Rooms can undoubtedly itself act within this landscape — if not promote it, as yet another object of identity of the finest kind. Réjean Beaulieu, Vancouver
day. Kind people tried to help me any way they could. I always had friends. Over the years I have become a stronger person. I now speak up, I even give advice. There should be more security guards at schools. Bullying and racism should be a criminal offence and furthermore I should have been compensated somehow for being partially destroyed. Ron Durnford, Stephenville Crossing
‘Your ferry thing sucks’ Dear editor, Our provincial newspapers repeatedly refer to our connecting ferries as our “Trans-Canada.” Far too often residents and visitors complain about the woes of this not-so-fixed-link with the rest of Canada. For many, our ferries at the Cabot Strait or Hamilton Inlet are the chosen points of entry or exit. Too frequently for anyone’s good, these are their points of frustration and aggravation due to inexcusable delays. How many people here at home, or from abroad, have taken our ads and invitations seriously, and tried to drive to or through Labrador or Newfoundland, only to be told that all ferries were booked (especially at Labrador ports) or were delayed? How many tourists have we turned off or turned away due to our ferry problems? Invariably, the Sir Robert Bond is filled or over-booked during our short summers. This does nothing to encourage people to take our advice or invitation seriously. As a province generally, and as a western Newfoundland and Labrador destination specifically, we need to quickly fix this broken link, or we can forever kiss our proud reputation of world-renown hospitality goodbye. Herb Brown, Goose Bay
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
Unravelling the future O
nce people placed their faith in God. Now many trust in science. Most people believe science to be the very antithesis of religion, but the fact remains that modern North Americans place a lot of stock in science as the cure, answer and explanation for everything. From global warming to “smart” bombs, people have faith — often an unquestioning, quasi-religious faith — in science. People often confuse science with technology. Science is the search for knowledge; technology is the practical application of same. Science produces technology, which often outpaces humanity. When that happens we see young men flying computerized jets into modern skyscrapers so they can martyr themselves to a heaven where they are surrounded by lovely young women. Medieval thought, modern technology — humanity running up hard against technology. Technology will soon allow people to have their own genome mapped out
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason — to decode, if you will, their own DNA — so they can know what diseases, cancers and other genetic proclivities they may have, says a recent issue of Science magazine. It won’t stop there, warn pundits, who say the application of personally decoded genomes could be really scary. Not because it can be done, but because of what people think it can do, and can do with it. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. His apology to the world for unleashing high explosives on an unsuspecting humanity is forever enshrined in the international prizes he bequeathed in his name with the fortune he made selling the stuff. Albert Einstein’s work enabled us to make even higher explosives. That was not why he did it. He was looking
into the mechanics of the universe. Using that knowledge to vapourize cities was someone else’s bright idea. Science in the wrong hands is never good. Science always falls into the wrong hands. Will we see people using decoded human DNA to design viruses to shag up the code? That could be nasty. Right now that is only Microsoft’s worry. Experts are just now thinking through the possibilities of this new technology. Will this enable people to have “designer children,” screening out what they think are undesirable traits? What exactly is an undesirable trait? Is it Down’s syndrome? Ask a parent with a child with a disability how “undesirable” they are. What if you can screen for rebelliousness? How about if there turns out to be a “gay gene?” What if there is a skinny gene? Or a fat one? Smart gene? Musical gene? Will prospective parents bargain for their children’s traits, the new person the product of a trade-off at the
Life is not science or technology, it is life. Not to be trifled with, tinkered with or conquered. It just is. A perfect race wouldn’t be. There are some doors that shouldn’t be opened. negotiating table? Middle name “compromise”? Maybe screening to weed out the type of person who screens for gay genes might be OK. I’m thinking this personal decoding might be a waste of money in any case. Want to know what you’re going
YOUR VOICE
‘A dangerous place to drive’
Canada should ‘stand up’ for its NL people
Dear editor, The local media recently carried an item that described a growing concern about drivers on our streets and highways who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia or other diseases associated with the elderly. It is certainly a legitimate concern and one of which we all should be aware. I am much more concerned about the driving habits of many nonelderly drivers who do not suffer from a mental or physical disease. These are the yahoos who, with seeming impunity, run red lights, do not stop at stop signs, do not seem to understand that a flashing red light means that you stop before proceeding, who want their portion of the road to be from the middle and to hell with the lines separating the lanes, who think that they should be the controller of traffic by stopping in the middle of a busy roadway to let someone enter from a side street, thus in many cases endangering everyone around, by talking on cell phones while driving, by taking forever to get away after the light turns green and then running the next red light, by activating their turning indicator lights after they start their turn rather than some distance ahead which would give the driver following an option, who drive slow-moving backhoes and other construction equipment along the Outer Ring and other major roadways in the height of rush hour, who park their vehicles in non-parking areas without regard to
Dear editor, I listened recently to federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn in an interview hosted by Paddy Daly from Out of the Fog. I will be absolutely honest, I do not know all that much about the complex workings of the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery, but the little I know and have heard interests me. The fishing nations within the European Union who are making historical claims to the fishery off our coast are wrong. No other nation, company or people have as much right to harvest the fish stocks as do Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. They alone have lived here and fished here for over 500 years, I would think that in and of itself is the precedent, no other has as much right to do so as the people of this land. MAGICAL DIVIDING LINE To suggest that the 200-mile limit is the magical dividing line is not entirely correct. The nose and tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap are also a part of Canada’s continental shelf. The fish stocks that drift in and out of the 200-mile zone are a part of the same larger fish biomass, or what’s left of it, and falls within the jurisdictional management of Canada and
Newfoundland and Labrador. It is time to tell the EU with all due respect we are unilaterally taking control and management of all fish stocks contained within the nose and tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap. A buffer zone should extend to include the whole of our continental shelf. Some time ago Iceland came to the realization that they alone must manage the fishery off their coast for the best interest and survival of their people. The fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador must remain an important part of the health and well-being and livelihood of its people and rural communities. Canada as a nation is known around the world as a peaceloving nation, and with all due respect to those nations within the EU who think they have a historical entitlement, enough is enough. It’s time for Canada as a nation to stand up for its people in Newfoundland and Labrador. Perhaps it’s time to shut down all trawling on the spawning grounds? It is interesting that we are not hearing very much from our politicians in this election. James P. Williams, Paradise
‘I’m just a Townie’ Dear editor, Town, and that’s where all the jobs are. A few months ago, I attended a forum I am a Townie, and nothing’s going to at The Rooms about the future of the change that. I have often heard that on outports. Those of you who were there this side of the overpass we all have will remember me as the youngster blinders on. I hate to think I’m ignorant Townie who got up and babbled some of something, and thus when I saw that hogwash about bringI had an opportunity to ing heritage back to learn the true plight of the outports. outports, I took it. I was born here, raised the Unfortunately my What I saw was that comments were made those from the Bay here, and instead of near the end of the disfeel about St. John’s cussion, as people leaving to find a steady the same way Newwere really starting to and Labjob, I stuck it out until foundlanders get upset about the radorians feel about dire scenario seen in the rest of Canada. I found one here. the outports. I was We’re misunderstood approached by a and blatantly ignored. woman after the talk who told me that Well b’y, I’m no mainlander. I said earNewfoundlanders are extremely proud lier that I’ve been graciously exposed to of their heritage. She would not let me Newfoundland culture. Where does explain what I was getting at. that culture come from? Sure, there’s an I heard through the grapevine over the obvious Townie culture, but the heart next couple of days that some people and soul of this province comes from the said there shouldn’t have been any hundreds of years of trial and triumph in Townies in the audience. I personally the outports and small communities off wish I had said nothing at all, but of the northeast Avalon. That’s where the course today the point I was trying to stories were told and put to song. That’s make is irrelevant. What matters to me where we learned that compassion and now is the relationship between “Town” co-operation are more powerful than and “the Bay.” I am an extremely proud ignorance and hate. Or at least that’s Newfoundlander. I was born here, raised what I’m told. What do I know? I’m just here, and instead of leaving to find a a Townie. steady job, I stuck it out until I found Dave Lane, one here. But, then again, I’m from St. John’s
to be like? Look at your close relatives, especially those whose DNA string is almost played out, like parents and grandparents. Most of us don’t understand what DNA is, how it works and what it means to “decode” it. Does anyone know what understanding the longterm implications of knowing our genetic future — whatever that might be — entails? Personally I don’t want to know. I’ll take my fate as it is handed to me, like those who went before me. Life is not science or technology, it is life. Not to be trifled with, tinkered with or conquered. It just is. A perfect race wouldn’t be. There are some doors that shouldn’t be opened. Like explosives and nuclear technology, there is no doubt unravelling our individual DNA will have practical and beneficial applications. That doesn’t worry me. What worries me is what the wrong hands are going to do with it. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
other drivers and the list goes on. I have observed school buses and police cars failing to stop at flashing red lights and have seen police cars only slow down at stop signs. The Avalon Peninsula in particular is a dangerous place to drive. Twice in the last couple of months I have personally been perilously close to being broadsided by speeding drivers running a red light. When I travel around this area, I feel more vulnerable to serious injury than I do when I drive
in major areas like Southern Ontario or New York City. I realize that the RNC is overburdened and many of their officers are supporting the investigation of wrongdoings by our politicians and other bureaucratic bunglings, however, it is my opinion that we need to urgently undertake a sustained police blitz to correct driving habits that have developed over the years. Mike Power, Paradise
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11
IN CAMERA
Pocketbook policy Liberals aim at lowering cost of living By Ivan Morgan The Independent
T
Reid chats with long-time La Scie resident Ralph Burton.
Friday lunchtime in Gander.
Campaigning in Clarenville.
A quiet moment.
Addressing Liberal supporters in La Scie.
Taking a call on the bus with assistant Darrell Mercer.
Early Saturday morning in Baie Verte.
‘I don’t think anybody is seeing crowds’ From page 1 Then it’s back on the bus and off to points west along the Trans-Canada Highway. In Badger, soon-to-be former Grand FallsBuchans MHA and Liberal cabinet minister Anna Thistle boards the bus with newbie candidate Gerry Tobin. Never mind that he ran against her in 2003, landing 370 NDP votes to her 3,921 — Thistle is working hard, showing him the ropes she used to so easily squash him the last time. This time, there is no NDP candidate in the district. After cutting a ribbon to open Tobin’s HQ, which is right next door to rival PC Susan Sullivan’s office, the bus moves on westward, leaving Tobin to his constituents. There’s a detour at South Brook, to pick up Grand FallsWindsor-Green Bay South Liberal hopeful Aubrey Smith and his young campaign manag-
er, April Bounds, for the hour’s run to the Long Island ferry to Pilley’s Island off the northeast coast. Bus driver Randy Breen kills that idea after several kilometres of dirt road, explaining dust and bus engines are a bad combination. So it’s back to pavement and a drive through prosperous-looking Triton instead. There are no stops, no meet-and-greets, no campaigning. On this glorious fall afternoon, tearing along a rural highway, sun pouring through the big bus windows, the decision to fix election dates in October seems particularly serendipitous. The local candidate and his campaign manager are dropped back on the side of the road where they were collected earlier, and the bus heads back to the highway and west. Supper that night is in Critch’s restaurant in La Scie, with local candidate Glen Bungay. It’s been a long and difficult day, and everyone’s looking forward to the fish and chips — espe-
The Independent’s picture editor, Paul Daly, and senior writer Ivan Morgan spent a weekend on the campaign bus with Liberal leader Gerry Reid. cially Reid. But somehow the leader’s order is garbled and he, and he alone, gets chicken. Whether tired, distracted, or too polite, Reid doesn’t send it back. He grumbles a little, but eats from the plate he was given. A perfect dusk in this little jewel of a harbour cannot tempt Reid to walk the five minutes along the shore road from the restaurant to Bungay’s headquarters. He takes the bus. Inside Bungay’s office there’s fresh crab,
shrimp and Liberal supporters. They’ are mostly older people, but as local fishery worker Victor Clance says, that’s because most of the young people are gone, headed west to Alberta. He says nowadays it is hard to find anyone to work in the fishery. Reid makes a speech. He’s in his element. It’s a small crowd but growing and, tired or not, when Reid talks about the fishery there’s passion. As he talks the room fills. Although many present are of Smallwood vintage, Reid energizes them. He talks of rural Newfoundland being left behind, abandoned by the new economy. The audience hears — and agrees with — what he is saying. These are his people. It’s no cliché to say there are two Newfoundlands: the northeast Avalon, and the rest of the province. Often called rural Newfoundland, it is also called Badger, Baie Verte, Triton, La Scie, Buchans, Millertown, Lewisporte and other places where Reid finds
small pockets of supporters who say they feel alienated and forgotten by government. When Reid speaks in scrums, there seems to be a reluctant, soft-spoken, almost apologetic tone to his voice. He is a good campaigner, and knows how to keep his cool. There is no temper or signs of frustration at miscues and missteps, and there are a few. He just forges ahead. Rural Newfoundland is Reid’s inspiration, and where he is most comfortable. Whether talking with moose hunters he encounters on the road to Millertown, or at a volunteer fire hall in Buchans, Reid is completely at ease. More to the point, so are the people he addresses. There is no intimidation or celebrity factor. It is clear they think him one of them. They hear his message and they want to tell him they agree.
“If you don’t live in St. John’s you don’t get nothing anyway,” says Ed Baker, longtime Buchans resident. An hour on the bus from Millertown to Lewisporte nets three supporters in the parking lot of the local Tim Horton’s. Reid is philosophical when it’s suggested he doesn’t seem to be drawing crowds to his events. “I don’t think anybody is seeing crowds anymore.” He says it’s a sign of the times, perhaps a reflection of the political spending scandal, that neither he nor the premier are getting big turnouts. Whatever the reason, his big red bus tour is not generating much excitement. It’s a long haul for Reid. The suggestion his party may only win four seats gets a rise. “I don’t buy that.” His Liberals will form a majority, he
says, adding there are more Tory incumbents in trouble in their districts than the governing party cares to admit. Of course, that’s what a leader in Reid’s shoes has to say. When asked why he’s still at it, after a political career that includes turns as both Fisheries and Education minister, Reid is to the point. He believes in what he is doing. But he admits being leader, and campaigning against Danny Williams, is a hard slog. “You’re on the go day and night, you get little rest, and when you do sleep, you dream politics.” So Reid soldiers on, dreaming politics, fighting for his forgotten Newfoundland, showing the Liberal colours, going down the hard road he has chosen. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
he Liberal election platform focuses on ordinary people and their daily expenses, aiming to end what it says is the neglect of rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Gerry Reid’s “new liberalism” is outlined in a “red book” entitled People… Progress … Prosperity! with chapters called Putting Money into People’s Pockets, Creating Jobs and Opportunities, and Growing Rural Newfoundland and Labrador that outline Liberal strategy for the future. Liberal campaign chair Rex Gibbons says the first priority of the policy platform is to put money in peoples’ pockets by reducing the cost of living for ordinary citizens. He says their policies are designed to speak to the average Newfoundlander in their day-to-day lives. “We want this to be significant to every citizen of Newfoundland and Labrador that pays taxes, pays fees, or anything related to cost in their daily living,” the chair of the Liberal policy committee tells The Independent. Gibbons says the party plans to reduce taxes on everyday things like home heating — oil, electricity, etc. — and eliminate the provincial portion of the HST. He says that’s particularly important considering the high cost of energy. The party also plans to eliminate the provincial portion of HST on funerals. A Reid government would review the provincial government’s fee structure to see what can be reduced or eliminated, says Gibbons. He offers the fee for death certificates implemented by the Tories as an example of what they will abolish. “There are too many fees — way too many,” he says. “Especially today, when we have more money in our coffers, more money coming into government, than ever before since Confederation.” Other aspects of the policy platform include a focus on the people of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, who, as Reid writes in his introduction to the policy book, have been ignored by the Williams government over the past four years. Their cellphone policy, says Gibbons, is a good example. He says when he drives to his home in Lumsden, on the island’s northeast coast, he loses his signal. “And that is typical of so many parts of rural Newfoundland,” he says. “Not good enough.” He says if someone buys a cellphone service in this province, they should be able to use it. Making 911 a province-wide service, offering a yearly $5,000 grant to volunteer fire departments, creating a new department of rural sustainability and a population growth secretariat are other initiatives the Liberals plan to implement if elected. One of the more notable planks in the platform is the Liberals’ insistence that the province does not need, and should not have, an equity stake in the oil industry. Gibbons says his party is squarely against an equity position. “Absolutely. There’s no need to own and participate in risky business.” There are numerous instances in this and other provinces, says Gibbons, where governments have invested in businesses and “taken a bath.” He says government should be concentrating on maximizing benefits that are more significant to the people of the province — taxes, royalties and jobs in the oil and gas sector. He says the province doesn’t need to own the business, it already owns the resources. An equity stake in the oil and gas industry, he says, places government in a conflict of interest; as a minority shareholder, says Gibbons, the province will be obliged to go along with the decisions of the majority shareholders — the oil companies — who he says will call the shots. A strong government can monitor the development of oil and gas resources, says Gibbons, and concentrate on enforcing environmental, safety and labour policy. He says the government doesn’t need an equity stake for a seat at the table because “the resource is ours … we own the table.” The platform, says Gibbons, outlines a pragmatic, moderate, middle-of-the-road plan that looks out for what’s best for the people of this province. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
‘Democracy, Newfoundland style’
I
see St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells has again lashed out at opponents of the Loblaw superstore at Quidi Vidi Lake, terming them “nincompoops,” “fools,” and “nitwits.” Opposition to the project only made him more stubborn and determined to “make the project happen” (to quote The Telegram’s account of what he said at the official opening). Up to 12,000 people — the vast majority of them citizens of St. John’s — signed petitions against the development. The mayor rode roughshod over them, over members of council who stood against him, and over the council’s own commissioner who recommended against approving the store. Wells got his way. Not only did he defeat his opponents, he now gloats over them, expressing his contempt for them as “nincompoops,” etc. Democracy, Newfoundland style. Politicians elsewhere in Canada and the U.S. are thought of as servants of the public, not their masters. Not so in the capital city. We have a mayor who has all the instincts of a bully and a dictator. I’m glad he doesn’t have a
PATRICK O’FLAHERTY A Skeptic’s Diary police force at his command. If he did, his opponents might end up behind barbed wire. How does he get away with it? Why, for instance, is there so little critical commentary on him in the press? The answer is fear of his sharp tongue, of his name-calling. He is a master of verbal abuse of the kind you hear in the schoolyard. No one wants to be called an idiot, fool, nincompoop, stupid nitwit, etc., in public by an official of the government. You approach someone like that warily. If he calls you a fool on Monday, he could call you a liar, thief, silly old bag, sodomite, or sheep shagger on Tuesday. Bullying is a hot topic in the schools these days, and teachers are doing their best to mitigate it. It can’t be easy to
argue against it when we have a bully in high office in St. John’s. What is more, he exemplifies a gloomy truth — namely, that bullying can be a successful strategy in politics and in life. Bullying works — let’s tell our children it doesn’t. ••• On Sept. 17, Zachary Michael Strong, 6, was riding his bicycle on a street in St. John’s when he was run over by a dump truck and killed. To lose a child in this manner is a bitter blow, and I understand why his bereaved family would want city council to take some action as a consequence to protect children. That would give his death some meaning. They are asking that signs be posted to slow truck traffic in areas where children are playing. I wonder if that goes far enough. The problem of trucks passing through St. John’s is a growing one. Heavily loaded tractor-trailers routinely go from the waterfront through the east end of the city, along historic Duckworth Street, through Cavendish Square, along King’s Bridge Road,
and along The Boulevard on their way to the Trans-Canada Highway. They also come off the TCH and drive this route on their way to the waterfront. No doubt many on their way to work in the early morning have found themselves behind slow-moving tractortrailers with loads of crushed vehicles or something similar. Some of them carry toxic materials. They are noisy, and they spew columns of diesel fumes as they go by. Many of the areas they pass through are neighbourhoods — places where children are playing or could be playing. Children on side streets along the route are liable to pop out onto the main drag at any moment. It is a dangerous state of affairs. City council is well aware of this, and has done nothing about it. Councillors are afraid of hurting business if they force the big shipping companies off the streets and onto a safer route out of town. Money talks. We could have another Zachary Michael Strong in the news any day. ••• I was glad to see in the latest issue of
Newfoundland Studies a review by Frank Holden of Leslie Harris’ Growing Up with Verse: A Child’s Life in Gallows Harbour, which was published in 2002 by Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. This book is unfortunately out of print, but copies may be found in the second-hand shops and there may even be a few new ones in the university bookstore. To adopt Orwell’s line, it is a book worth stealing. It is an evocation of childhood on the western side of Placentia Bay in the 1930s, written with style, spirit, and humour. Dr. Harris had the good fortune to have a school teacher for a mother — Rachel Bishop from Hibb’s Hole in Conception Bay. She was, moreover, a teacher who loved poetry. He grew up in what was an outport literary household, learned to love poetry, and memorized much of what he read and heard. The extent to which a saturation in verse enriched his life is apparent from this excellent and moving book. Patrick O’Flaherty is a writer in St. John’s.
Opportunities Environmental Protection Officer (Various Locations)
Heavy Equipment Technician – 1st & 2nd Year Apprentice
Permanent
Apprenticeship Contract
Government Service Centre, Department of Government Services
Three (3) contractual Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship positions of with the Central Transportation Division of the Department of Transportation and Works located at Baie Verte, Lumsden and Lewisporte.
DUTIES: Administers and regulates environmental programs in an assigned region within the Province; deals with prevention, abatement, elimination, control on litigation concerning all aspects of environmental pollution; performs site inspections relating to zoning, effect to adjacent property, possible traffic hazards and the effects on public health and environment; conducts initial and ongoing inspections of activities from an environmental perspective; provides ongoing advice to the public, other government departments and agencies on matters of an environmental concern, including land issues; performs related duties, as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS: Requires in-depth knowledge of environmental policies and procedures; must demonstrate well developed communication, interpersonal, investigative and organizational skills along with good judgment and ability to operate independently. Completion of BSc degree in Biology, Chemistry or Environmental Studies, and a minimum of one year experience in the environmental field; or any equivalent combination of experience and training. Computer experience is an asset. Provision of a private vehicle may be required for certain positions. SALARY: GS-35 ($42,533.40 - $47,447.40) COMPETITION #: GS.C.EPO(p).07.08.163-P (Happy Valley-Goose Bay) (709) 637-2229 (plus Labrador Allowance: $2,150.00 single; $4,300.00 dependent) GS.C.EPO(p).07.08.164-P (Grand Falls-Windsor) (709) 292-4218 GS.C.EPO(p).07.08.165-P (Harbour Grace) (709) 729-2860 GS.C.EPO(p).07.08.166-P (Corner Brook)(709) 637-2229 CLOSING DATE: October 9th, 2007
DUTIES: These positions will provide assistance to the Journey Person Heavy Equipment Technician associated with repairs to light and heavy equipment carried out in a transportation garage. Work involves designing, re-designing, repairing, rebuilding and fabricating parts and components of light and heavy vehicles, its systems and related equipment. Work is performed under the supervision of a Journey Person in order to learn the operations in a mechanical facility and apply skills to the repair of Department equipment. QUALIFICATIONS: Successful candidate must have completed advanced level apprenticeship training at a recognized institution, and have less than 1800 hours for 1st year or less than 3600 hours for 2nd year towards Journeyperson Certification. Experience in various other trades associated with the repair of vehicles and equipment; and experience in mechanical repairs, welding and machinists work would be an asset. SALARY:
$25,392.64 - First Year [%MS-26 ($17.44- $19.28)] $29, 016.00 Second Year [%MS-26($17.44-$19.28)] COMPETITION #: TW.C.AHET.(c).07.08.198-P (Baie Verte) 1st year TW.C.AHET.(c).07.08.199-P (Lumsden) 1st year TW.C.AHET.(c).07.08.200-P (Lewisporte) 2nd year CLOSING DATE: October 8, 2007. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE FORWARDED BY MAIL OR FAX TO:
Applications should be forwarded to:
Mail:
Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Manager of Strategic Staffing – Social Sector Public Service Commission – Recruitment Unit Confederation Building, 4th Floor, West Block P. O. Box 8700 A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 jobapps@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date – late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on these positions contact the numbers provided above. This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, but does not apply to students. This position is open to both male & female.
Fax: E-Mail:
Ms. Daphne Bouzane Regional Administrator (A) Department of Transportation & Works P.O. Box 10 Grand Falls-Windsor, NL A2A 2J3 (709) 292-4364 bouzaned@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, fax or E-Mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call 709-292-4306.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 13
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
14 • INDEPENDENTNEWS AROUND THE WORLD On Monday last, the wreck of a large boat, newly painted, drove past Cape Spear. The wind had prevailed from the northward for some days before, and the probability is that the boat was coming from one of our northern ports. It is feared that the crew have perished. — The Conception-Bay Man, Harbour Grace, Oct. 28, 1857 AROUND THE BAY Messrs. H. LeMessurier and R. Simms, who were shooting over the Witless Bay Line, returned yesterday with a bag comprising four partridge, a snipe and a hawk. They blame the dog. — The Evening Chronicle, St. John’s, Sept. 29, 1909 YEARS PAST Within the last few days there has been
several attempts at cow-killing, by dogs. A valuable cow belonging to Capt. G. Brown, was attacked, but providentially rescued. Also a cow in care of Mr. Noseworthy, South Side, was attacked. High time to destroy these useless appendages. — The Standard and Conception-Bay Advertiser, Sept. 26, 1860 EDITORIAL STAND All the emphasis appears to be placed on the belief that a change of government can accomplish what is only possible by sound planning and direct action. If, for example, we were a province of Canada,
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
HUMAN RESOURCES ADVISOR (Contractual Position to October 7, 2008, Subject to Renewal) THE OPPORTUNITY In this position you will work collaboratively with departmental administrators and employees, together with a team of human resources functional experts, to provide proactive advice and recommend workable solutions to human resource issues in the areas of organizational planning and effectiveness; employee/labour relations; employee development and effectiveness; issues management; job evaluation and employment. This position is an opportunity to embrace change and demonstrate your passion to partner with people to achieve objectives. You will coordinate with the advisory services and functional HR management teams, to provide direct service and HR solutions to our partners thereby ensuring that the best and most appropriate service is provided; provide or coordinate through the HR team, a variety of HR activities including: organizational planning and effectiveness, skills development, recruitment and succession planning, collective agreement interpretation, issues management, attendance management, employee counseling, return to work management and workplace accommodation, job design/redesign, job evaluation review and appeal and salary administration; facilitate organizational change; recommend revisions to existing processes or policies in order to more effectively meet human resource challenges; participate on committees; perform other related duties as required. THE CANDIDATE The ideal candidate will have considerable professional human resources experience (3-5 years), with proven functional expertise in at least one area of HR specialization of an advisory services nature, complemented by an undergraduate degree preferably with a concentration in Business; or any equivalent combination of experience and training. Required competencies include proven skills in the areas of interpersonal relations; problem solving and creative thinking; planning
what would that do for our country? Would it improve the competitive position of our fisheries and our newsprint operators? Would it mean a concentration upon the means of procuring as near we can go to full employment in this country? The point is that it is not what government is that counts but what it does. And government can only do so much. The rest is up to the enterprise, initiative, energy and understanding of the people. — Observer’s Weekly, St. John’s, Oct. 2, 1945 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir — My heart fairly burns when I think of the unkind thoughts which I have had, on occasions, when I raised the receiver of my telephone and was not answered by the operator on duty with the local Telephone Co. I state this, in prelude to a sort of apology from myself, and I
feel sure, on behalf of many more, to these operators. I was only led to realize the tremendous amount of work entailed when I viewed a copy of the new Directory which the Company is presently distributing. Just imagine, to remember all these names and numbers, and be able to recall them on the spur of the moment! It is almost incredible how these humans (they are humans) could do this work with the speed with which they have done it all along. Sincerely yours, “Repentence” — The Speaker, Bay Roberts, Oct. 24, 1953 QUOTE OF THE WEEK Come on, Bell Island, enter the beauty and poise contest, be crowned Queen of the Harbour Grace Fair … put Bell Island on the Teen Age map! — The Bell Island Reporter, Oct. 8, 1959
Evening Chronicle, 1909
and project management; group/process facilitation; and proficiency using the Microsoft Office suite. Key personal attributes include a strong customer service orientation; a strong focus on results; a commitment to a team approach; pro-active approach; high standards of excellence; and the ability to multi-task and handle multiple projects.
cies; administration of space planning; directing operations and maintenance functions related specifically to carpentry, locksmith, grounds and landscape trades; assisting in the development, allocation and administration of departmental budgets; and on-going development, implementation and evaluation of design standards and policies related to areas of responsibility.
SALARY Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Candidates should be eligible for professional engineering registration in APEGN and have a minimum eight years professional engineering experience. This position requires senior technical knowledge; highly developed leadership and team-building skills; excellent communication and organizational skills; a strong customer-focus; an understanding of collective agreements and union/management relations; and a demonstrated ability to work in a high performance team environment.
CLOSING DATE October 5, 2007 COMPETITION NO. HRS-07-17
DEPARTMENT OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL (Contractual Position to October 29, 2010) Memorial University invites applications from qualified persons for the position of Assistant Director, Development and Renewal. Memorial University is a dynamic institution which includes two campuses in Newfoundland (St. John=s and Corner Brook). It is the largest university in Atlantic Canada with approximately 17,500 full and part-time students, both undergraduate and graduate, supported by a faculty of over 900, and non-academic staff of 2000 individuals. The position is located in St. John’s, a city in a spectacular ocean setting with unique geography, heritage and lifestyle. Reporting to the Director, Facilities Management, the successful applicant will perform highly responsible professional and supervisory work associated with the planning and programming of minor capital construction and renovations carried out by the university. Duties include management and direction of in-house design team, consultants and contract administration personnel; representing the university on committees and in negotiations with external agen-
SALARY Commensurate with qualifications and experience CLOSING DATE Applications will be considered starting October 9, 2007 COMPETITION NO. UWA-07-09 To apply for these positions, fully complete an APPLICATION FOR NON ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT and attach a current resume, addressed to: Director of Human Resources Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7 For further information concerning these opportunities, or to obtain a copy of the application form, please visit us on the web at: www.mun.ca/humanres/; or contact the Recruitment Office, Department of Human Resources, Room A4039, Arts and Administration Building, Elizabeth Avenue, phone (709) 737-7403, fax (709) 7372700, or email recruitment@mun.ca. If applying by email, please state the competition number in the subject line. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. Memorial University is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from qualified women and men, visible minorities, aboriginal people, and persons with disabilities.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. Memorial University is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from qualified women and men, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities.
www.mun.ca
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2007 — PAGE 15
A campaign sign in Holyrood.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Signed, sealed and delivered Sign companies make a killing on election campaigns By Brian Callahan The Independent
L
ike wars, elections can be unpleasant — but they’re great for business. “I wish there was an election every year,” Steve Drodge of Fast Signs tells The Independent. It’s fair to say he’s in the minority. But business-wise, it’s hard to argue with him or the owner of any other sign company these days. From the thousands of small lawn signs, to buses emblazoned with Premier Danny Williams or Liberal
Leader Gerry Reid, campaigning can get pricey. Bus signage alone can run into the $6,000 to $9,000 range. But the small, so-called “lollipop” signs, at $3-$4 each, can put a dent in a candidate’s budget, too. And for the most part, the decisions are up to the candidate. “We don’t do business with any one sign company,” says Liberal party spokesman Darrell Mercer. “It’s really up to the individual who they go to, and how much they spend.” That’s especially true in rural districts, where local printers are also
afforded a piece of the advertising pie. “There isn’t one particular sign company we use as a party,” adds PC spokesman Ken Morrissey. “It’s completely up to the candidate in that district. It’s their budget.” The NDP, however, has been using Fast Signs exclusively, but not due to any party or union affiliation, says spokeswoman Amanda Will. And the various companies confirm that. Impact Signs has taken on four Tory candidates, but that’s it. “It’s been crazy for us just with
those four,” says Impact Signs’ Lillian Brake. “We’ve really been swamped overall since the election campaign began, in addition to the work we already had. Those four are keeping us going enough.” Drodge confirms the business had been spread out among the various sign companies. “We’ve got all colours from just about all the parties. We may have spoken to party offices about prices and what we can do, but it’s been the individual candidates that we’ve dealt with,” he says. Fast Signs has been filling election
sign orders since it started business locally, in 1991. “Provincial, federal, municipal … we love elections. I’d say our business is up 50 per cent right now. For the past two or two-and-a-half weeks we’ve had to put on double shifts to keep up.” Candidates and parties are reluctant to divulge their spending habits during the election. By law, their expenses must be documented and filed with the electoral officer after the election. brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
Alberta looks for fair share
Report suggests increased royalties, less secrecy around western province’s booming oil and gas industries
O
n Sept. 18, the Alberta Royalty Review Panel released Our Fair Share, an examination of that province’s energy royalty and tax regime. The 104 pages offer recommendations about how the provincial government can change its official royalty structure — with an end result of an estimated $2 billion more in provincial revenues a year. The report gets straight to the point: “Albertans do not receive their fair share from energy development,” begins the executive summary, indicating the rates and formulas have not kept pace with changes in the resource base or world energy markets. “Albertans own the resource,” it continues. “The onus is on their government to re-balance the royalty and tax system so that a fair share is collected.” (Newfoundland and Labrador, on the other hand, does not own its offshore oil and gas resources.) Not surprisingly, reaction to the report has been mixed. Reporter Paula Simons of the
Edmonton Journal calls the report a “a timely recognition that Alberta’s oilpatch has changed — that we’ve moved away from the fortune-hunting days of speculative drilling towards a less risky model of oilsands mining and upgrading. And a recognition too, that world energy markets look very different now than they did 10 years ago, when oil prices were low and Alberta was desperate to attract investment.” But what’s truly revolutionary, she continues, is the report’s “attack on the province’s lack of accountability,” that “the panel concludes it’s next to impossible for Albertans to know whether or not the province is collecting all the royalties it’s entitled to, even at today’s low rates.” On the other side, the oil and gas players have come out swinging. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers issued a press release Sept. 24 outlining some of its concerns: “The panel’s report promises a future that the oil and gas industry sees as unrealistic,” reads the release. “It calls for significant-
ly higher royalties and taxes, but suggests there will be no overall impact on industry investment, activity and growth.” CAPP president Pierre Alvarez is quoted as saying, “The basic assumption is that the size of the ‘pie’ will not change … past experience, in this country and around the world, just doesn’t support the panel’s view.” The association also charges the panel “ignores the real costs facing the industry … the costs for a typical oil sands project are projected to be $5 billion to $6 billion by the panel, but the actual costs are $10 billion to $11 billion. These costs, such as the price of steel, are largely driven by global factors and are not within control of the industry.” On Sept. 25, Wood Mackenzie, an international energy research company released its own report, Fiscal impacts of proposed Alberta royalty regime changes. According to its release, Wood Mackenzie concluded that if implemented in full, the changes would reduce the
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commercial value of current and planned oil sands projects by $26 billion (US). “Alberta is following in the footsteps of many other oil producing regions in its desire to extract a greater share of the economic rent from its natural resources, during the current period of high commodity prices,” Derek Butter, the head of corporate analysis for the company, is quoted as saying. “However, the higher than expected level of new taxation will cause concern among oil sands industry players already struggling to cope with spiralling costs. This will further raise the already high, economic break-even price of these projects, significantly raising the level of risk on what are huge initial capital outlays.” Butter predicts the most affected projects would be those with a start-up date into the future. “We would expect, once it has recovered from the shock, the industry will lobby hard to mitigate the effects of the proposals.” After a week of being criticized by oil industry players, members involved with the royalty review panel spoke up.
“In my entire 34-year career as fiscal adviser to governments, I have never had an oil executive indicating to me that it was the right moment to increase royalties,” argued Pedro van Meurs, an international expert who assisted the sixmember, government-commissioned review panel, in the Saskatoon StarPheonix. And panelist Andrew Plourde stuck by the panel’s numbers, arguing the review got its figures from Alberta government royalty filings and checked them against Wood Mackenzie, as well as regulatory sources, industry documents and reports to shareholders. Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said the province will spend the next few weeks analyzing the report — and consult with petroleum producers — before making any decisions regarding its recommendations. He indicated a public announcement would be made mid-October. During a Sept. 25 speech in Toronto, See “Investing,” page 19
16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Opportunities Training Officer
Clerk III
Maintenance & Engineering Project Supervisor
Permanent
Temporary
Temporary
Operational Management and Strategic Planning Division, Department of Finance, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL
Location: Estates Division, Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s
One (1) temporary position of Maintenance & Engineering Project Supervisor with the Department of Transportation and Works, located in Fogo Island.
DUTIES: The successful candidate will develop and implement a training strategy for government’s enterprise financial systems; develop training material for various new or existing financial management applications using a variety of technology based training tools; deliver training to end users to build specialized financial system skills; communicate business process changes to end users resulting from financial system implementations; participate on project teams to identify training requirements for end users with respect to new or enhanced financial management applications; and other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have considerable experience in the development and delivery of organizational training based on adult learning principles with experience in facilitation. The candidate must be able to work in a collaborative work environment and possess strong communication skills. Preferably, the candidate should possess experience in the use of information technology to support learning. Also experience with training in financial management systems would be an asset. The required qualifications for this position would normally be acquired through the completion of a University degree in social sciences, business, education, or other related fields; preferably with experience in curriculum and organizational development. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
DUTIES: Maintains the computerized accounting records of the Estates Division, using Newviews accounting software; posts both receipts and disbursements to individual client accounts and general ledger accounts; initials and posts journal vouchers; files required documentation; utilizing software, produces month-end reports and runs computerized cheque processing; compiles interest income for each client using Lotus 1-2-3 and prepares T-3 worksheets and T-1 income tax returns. This position acts as a cashier and backup secretary for the office. QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of computerized accounting and bookkeeping systems and bank reconciliation process; well developed analytical, organizational and communications skills are required; these qualifications are normally acquired through directly related experience in this field, supplemented by completion of college level course work in accounting and/or business administration. Equivalencies considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources.
SALARY: $ 45,754.80 – $ 51,105.60 (GS 37) COMPETITION #: FIN.C.TO(p).07/08.100-P, please quote when applying CLOSING DATE: October 10th, 2007
SALARY:
Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: This position is open to both male and female. Applications should be forwarded to:
Mail:
Mail:
$27,905.60 - $30,594.20 per annum (GS 22) COMPETITION #: J.C.CIII(t).07.109 - P CLOSING DATE: October 9, 2007
DUTIES: This position is responsible for planning, organizing, implementing and supervising employees and equipment engaged in a variety of highway, airstrip and ferry terminal maintenance and construction activities, applying modern techniques in construction & maintenance under a planned maintenance system for seasonal snow and ice control activities within a Departmental Unit area. This position is accountable for executing highway and bridge construction and contract work within the unit and ensures projects are carried out within specifications and budget. The Supervisor will act as a unit manager, conducting all regular business in the area & consults with the Superintendent of Operations and or the Regional Engineer on major problems. The Supervisor maintains good relations with the general public by investigating and resolving complaints while adhering to departmental policy. QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of project management, snow and ice control and civil engineering; ability to plan, organize and provide direction to employees engaged in maintenance and construction activities. Successful candidate should possess strong communication, analytical and problem solving skills; as well as the ability to motivate employees and establish effective working relations with staff and the general public. These qualifications would normally be acquired through experience in highway maintenance and civil engineering work, three years supervisory experience; completion of a Civil Engineering Technology Program from an approved college. SALARY: $41,004 - $57,406 (HL-16) COMPETITION #: TW.C.MEPS.(t).07.08.201-P CLOSING DATE: October 8, 2007. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This position is open to both male and female. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-6530. September 21, 2007
Communications Technician
Permanent (2 Positions) Location: Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Department of Justice, Corner Brook DUTIES: Communications Technicians, including 911 responsibilities, will have primary contact with the general public. Reporting to a senior police officer, you will receive non-emergency and emergency (including 911) telephone calls for assistance. Personnel will have both the authority and responsibility to dispatch persons to emergency and non emergency situations who are engaged in work for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, RCMP, Fire Departments, Ambulance, Search and Rescue and other partner agencies. From relevant information obtained from the caller, the call for service is prioritized and inputted into a computer data base for assignment to the appropriate public safety personnel for follow-up. You will document and record information as required, perform information searches (queries) for Police Officers and authorized personnel via several police computer systems. In addition to call-taker and query duties, there is a requirement to operate the operational or administrative radio consoles and to serve as receptionist assisting public in front lobby and keeping various lists and logs updated. You will be required to dispatch calls for service in accordance with policy, coordinate additional assistance as necessary and maintain the current status of all police units as reported by the officer. The work environment has periods of intense activity requiring technicians to exercise independent judgment, and exhibit tact and diplomacy. QUALIFICATIONS: Must be multi-tasked, with ability to do and listen to several things at one time; Considerable experience as a communicator, with telephone/radio contact with the general public in demanding circumstances, preferably in a policing/emergency related environment. Experience in keeping logs, note taking and attention to detail is preferred. A positive attitude, excellent attention to detail, a sense of urgency and the ability to juggle multiple tasks at once is essential. Post secondary education or training is required. Excellent oral communication skills, dependability, decisiveness, good judgment and the ability to react positively in a stress situation are highly desirable personal characteristics. Computer familiarization and keyboarding speed of 35 wpm is required. These qualifications are normally attained through directly related training and experience. Shift work (24/7) including statutory holidays and weekends. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources. SALARY: $32,905.60 - $36,418.20 (GS 27) COMPETITION #: J.C.CT(p).07.016- P CLOSING DATE: October 9, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: This position is open to both male and female. Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* In order to ensure your application/resume is processed appropriately, the job competition number MUST be indicated. * Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by e-mail, postal mail or fax. (If faxing, DO NOT send a duplicate copy). Late applications with acceptable explanation may be considered. *For additional information on this position, call (709) 6374107. 2007 09 21
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* In order to ensure your application/resume is processed appropriately, the job competition number MUST be indicated. * Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by e-mail, postal mail or fax. (If faxing, DO NOT send a duplicate copy). Late applications with acceptable explanation may be considered. * For additional information on this position, call (709) 7294513. 2007 09 21
Heavy Equipment Technician – 1st Year Apprentice Apprenticeship Contract Two (2) contractual Apprenticeship Contracts position of Apprentice Heavy Equipment Technician with the Central Transportation Division of the Department of Transportation and Works located at Baie Verte and Lumsden. DUTIES: This position will provide assistance to the Journey Person Heavy Equipment Technician associated with repairs to light and heavy equipment carried out in a Transportation Garage. Work involves designing, re-designing, repairing, rebuilding and fabricating parts and components of light and heavy vehicles, its systems and related equipment under supervision of a Journey Person to learn the operations in a mechanical facility and apply skills to the repair of Department equipment. QUALIFICATIONS: Successful candidate must have completed advanced level apprenticeship training at a recognized institution, and have less than 1800 hours towards Journeyperson Certification. Experience in various other trades associated with the repair of vehicles and equipment; and experience in mechanical repairs, welding and machinists work would be an asset. SALARY:
$25,392.64 - First Year [%MS-26 ($17.44- $19.28)] COMPETITION #: TW.C.AHET.(c).07.08.198-P (Baie Verte) TW.C.AHET.(c).07.08.199-P (Lumsden) CLOSING DATE: October 8, 2007.
Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Ms. Daphne Bouzane Regional Administrator (A) Department of Transportation & Works P.O. Box 10 Grand Falls-Windsor, NL A2A 2J3 (709) 292-4364 bouzaned@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, fax or E-Mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call 709-2924306.
Heavy Equipment Technician – 2nd Year Apprentice Apprenticeship Contract One (1) Contractual Aprenticeship Contract position for Apprentice Heavy Equipment Technician in the Central Transportation Division of the Department of Transportation and Works located at Lewisporte. DUTIES: This position will provide assistance to the Journey Person Heavy Equipment Technician associated with repairs to light and heavy equipment carried out in a Transportation Garage; work involves designing, re-designing, repairing, rebuilding and fabricating parts and components of light and heavy vehicles, its systems and related equipment. Under supervision of a Journey Person to learn the operations in a mechanical facility and apply skills to the repair of Department equipment. QUALIFICATIONS: Successful candidate must have completed advanced level apprenticeship training at a recognized institution, and have less than 3600 hours towards Journeyperson Certification. Experience in various other trades associated with the repair of vehicles and equipment; and experience in mechanical repairs, welding and machinists work would be an asset. SALARY:
$29, 016.00 Second Year [%MS-26($17.44-$19.28)] COMPETITION #: TW.C.AHET.(c).07.08.200-P CLOSING DATE: October 8, 2007, INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Mail: Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Ms. Daphne Bouzane Regional Administrator (A) Department of Transportation & Works P.O. Box 10 Grand Falls-Windsor, NL A2A 2J3 (709) 292-4364 bouzaned@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, fax or E-Mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call 709-2924306.
E-Mail: Fax:
Ms. Daphne Bouzane Regional Administrator (A) Department of Transportation and Works P.O. Box 10 Grand Falls-Windsor, NL A2A 2J3 BouzaneD@gov.nl.ca (709) 292-4364
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, email or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. A separate application must be submitted for each competition. For additional information on this position call 709292-4306.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 17
Opportunities Manager, Data Centre
Manager of Information Technology – Client Service/Service Desk
Manager of Information Technology – Client Service/Service Delivery
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent
Infrastructure Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 40 Higgin’s Line, St. John’s
Infrastructure Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 40 Higgin’s Line, St. John’s
Infrastructure Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 40 Higgin’s Line, St. John’s
The OCIO provides for the operation of Government’s computer systems and infrastructure, the planning, development and implementation of new IT initiatives, the coordination of IT and information management for Government and working with the local IT industry development while meeting the needs of government.
The OCIO provides for the operation of Government’s computer systems and infrastructure, the planning, development and implementation of new IT initiatives, the coordination of IT and information management for Government and working with the local IT industry development while meeting the needs of government.
The OCIO provides for the operation of Government’s computer systems and infrastructure, the planning, development and implementation of new IT initiatives, the coordination of IT and information management for Government and working with the local IT industry development while meeting the needs of government.
DUTIES: This position is accountable for the management and operation of the computer room data centre environment and mission critical support infrastructure of the OCIO, this position ensures that the mandate of client support services of the OCIO is consistently delivered. The manager oversees and organizes the data centre functions; supervises data centre staff in a 24-hour facility and ensures services are delivered as cost- and time-effectively as possible. Monitors all data centre services to ensure clients’ business needs are met and service levels being delivered by the data centre. The position plans, manages and monitors the data centre operational budget. Consults with the Director and other department and government executive on issues and proposes appropriate courses of action. Develops policies and procedures. Manages data centre energy management and future projections. Formulates and implements a preventive maintenance program.
DUTIES: This position is accountable for managing the people, technology, and corporate business applications which make up the information technology and mobile communications environment of all government departments and other publicly funded bodies through the direct supervision of front-line resources and the application of service delivery best practices. The Manager plans, organizes and manages the delivery of the full range of OCIO service desk and tier 2 support offerings that enable client facing technologies as well as backend systems. While applying best practices in the provision of technical support this position ensures effective delivery of services and maintenance of critical IT infrastructure. The Manager must ensure services are delivered in the most cost effective and timely manner while giving consideration to new technologies and making sure the work meets the business requirements of the client. The Manager understands key considerations for setting up an efficient service desk and service delivery environment that encompasses the traditional and evolving expectations of clients. Ensures IT staff meet service delivery metrics established by Service Level Agreements and Operational Level Agreements and ensures that client IT needs are met in a timely manner. Employs appropriate escalation processes when necessary; manages an environment which promotes team development and enhances communication to ensure efficiency and effectiveness; consults, advises and makes recommendations to the Director and other OCIO executive on issues and proposed activities. Works with managers and clients to maintain effective working relationships; assesses current and future service delivery solutions and business processes; reviews and revises policies and procedures as necessary; and supports an IS Director and the Executive in budgeting and planning activities.
DUTIES: This position is accountable for managing the people, technology, corporate business applications, data network, security and data communications infrastructure which make up the information technology and mobile communications environment of all government departments and other publicly funded bodies through the direct supervision of front-line resources and the application of project management methodologies. While applying best practices in the provision of technical support services, this position ensures effective maintenance of IT infrastructure as per service delivery metrics established by Service Level Agreements and Operational Level Agreements. The Manager monitors the progress of work to ensure delivery is within budget allocations while ensuring that client IT needs are met in a timely manner, employing appropriate escalation processes when necessary. Manages staff working in a team environment and plays an exemplary role in ensuring team performance targets are met. The Manager selects, trains, motivates and evaluates assigned personnel; consults, advises and makes recommendations to the Director and other OCIO executive on issues and proposed activities; works with managers and clients to maintain effective working relationships; assesses current and future systems and reviews and revises policies and procedures as necessary; and participates in the development and administration of the OCIO Service Delivery budget as necessary.
QUALIFICATIONS: Experience supervising staff in a team environment; coursework and/or experience in leadership, conflict resolution, problem solving and knowledge of IT trends and technologies. Knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety and Labour Laws. Knowledge of Change Management controls, backup generators, UPS, fire protection and HVAC technologies. Understands the engineering design and operational aspects of the facility’s Network Critical Physical Infrastructure, mainframe and server platforms. Excellent interpersonal, analytical, written and oral communication skills and the ability to plan, prioritize, manage time, exercise good judgment, discretion and multitask in a high pressure and fast-paced environment. Experience with budget submissions, budget monitoring, and government procurement processes. Experience with report and other official technical and generic documentation. Demonstrates customer service orientation, responsibility/ownership of work, constructive team membership and effective decision making. Required skills will normally have been obtained by graduation from a recognized post secondary educational programme with a specialization in Computer Studies. An equivalent combination of experience and education of a related and responsible nature in a technical and multi-platform environment may be considered. SALARY: $ 51,546 – $ 67,010 (HL-21) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.MDC(p).07/08.106-P CLOSING DATE: October 12th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. RNC Security Clearance and 24 X 7 on-call rotation are conditions of employment. Alternate work hours may also apply depending on service demands. Use of a personal vehicle may be required. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-1123.
Geological Technician
Temporary Mineral Lands Division, Department of Natural Resources, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: Assists with the review of technical data submitted as mineral/quarry exploration assessment work. This includes geological, geochemical, geophysical and diamond drilling summary reports. Scans mineral rights registry documents (title transfers, mining leases, and confidential agreements) to meet standards for posting on the Departments website; data entry specific related documental information to allow searching of registries online; Digitizing historical mineral tenure information for incorporation into GIS; construction of various maps using ArcMap and CorelDraw for use in Departmental Publications. Various clerical duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates will have some experience in the use of GIS software as well as some field experience relating to mineral/quarry exploration activities. Knowledge of general report writing and editing procedures and techniques; ability to read and interpret maps in detail; knowledge of cartographic co-ordinate conventions; and knowledge of various explorations costs. This would normally be acquired through the completion of a post secondary program in a in the use of GIS software, CET or equivalent. Standard driver’s license required. SALARY: GS-28 ($33,724.60 - $37,382.80) COMPETITION #: NR.C.GT(t).07.0179 (Please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: October 08, 2007 APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE FORWARDED BY MAIL OR FAX TO: Mail:
Tel: Fax: Email:
Recruitment Centre, Public Service Commission Confederation Building, 4th Floor, West Block P.O. Box 8700 A1B 4J6 (709) 729-0130 709-729-6737 pscresourcesresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This position is open to both male and female. For additional information on this position call (709) 7296437.
QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable responsible experience in information technology management in a service delivery environment utilizing enterprise service desk technologies. Knowledge of service delivery metrics, ITIL practices and/or Microsoft Operating Framework (MOF) guidelines for service delivery, change management, PC and server based systems and related software, and local and wide area networks. Experience with the development of technical and operational (business process driven) documentation as well as user documentation. Experience supervising staff in a team environment; coursework and/or experience in leadership, conflict resolution, customer service, ITIL/MOF, and problem solving. An understanding of business and information management linkages to technology, technology architectures, system security and the ability to plan, prioritize, manage time and multitask in a high pressure and fast-paced environment in balancing day-to-day demands for IT services. In addition, well developed analytical, managerial, team building, written and oral communication, interpersonal and leadership skills and a strong service orientation is required. Experience with budget submissions, budget monitoring, and government procurement processes. Required skills would normally be acquired through a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer information systems or a related field. An equivalent combination of experience and education may be considered.
QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable responsible experience in information technology management and service delivery. Knowledge of service desk environments, ITIL practices and/or Microsoft Operating Framework (MOF) guidelines for service delivery and change management. Knowledge of project management, PC based systems, industry standard server technologies, local and wide area networks, and related software. Experience supervising staff in a team environment; coursework and/or experience in leadership, conflict resolution, and problem solving. An understanding of business and information management linkages to technology, technology architectures, system security and the ability to plan, prioritize, manage time and multitask in a high pressure and fast-paced environment. In addition, well developed analytical, managerial, team building, written and oral communication, interpersonal and leadership skills and a service orientation is required. Experience with budget submissions, budget monitoring, and government procurement processes. Experience with report development and other official technical and generic documentation. Required skills would normally be acquired through a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer information systems or a related field. An equivalent combination of experience and education may be considered. SALARY: $54,302 – $70,593 (HL-22) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.MIT(p).07/08.105-P, please quote when applying CLOSING DATE: October 12th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail:
SALARY: $54,302 – $70,593 (HL-22) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.MIT(p).07/08.104-P, please quote when applying CLOSING DATE: October 12th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail: Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-Mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. RNC Security Clearance and 24 X 7 on-call rotation are conditions of employment. Alternate work hours may also apply depending on service demands. Use of a personal vehicle may be required. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-1123.
Tender Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: A/PROJECT # 400246007 – Upgrading of gymnasium (exterior wall repairs and related work) Swift Current Academy, Swift Current, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 10, 2007 @ 3:00 PM B/PROJECT # 400209006 – Roof replacement/repairs, Pearce Junior High, Salt Pond, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2007 @ 3:00 PM Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering and Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St John’s, NL. A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax # 709-729-6729, and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association, Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering and Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. Joan Burke Minister Transportation & Works
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. RNC Security Clearance and 24 X 7 on-call rotation are conditions of employment. Alternate work hours may also apply depending on service demands. Use of a personal vehicle may be required. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-1123.
Tender Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: PROJECT # E050018 – Science laboratory equipment installation, Labrador School District, Labrador, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $ 22.80 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 11, 2007 @ 3:00 PM Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering and Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St John’s, NL. A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax # 709-729-6729, and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association, Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering and Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. Joan Burke Minister Transportation & Works
18 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Opportunities Geologist III
Family Court Counsellor I Family Justice Mediator
Manager of Advance Technology
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent
Mines Branch - Geological Survey, Department Of Natural Resources, St. Johns
Location: Supreme Court Family Justice Services Division, Gander
Infrastructure Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 40 Higgin’s Line, St. John’s
DUTIES: This is a professional scientific position, responsible for the systematic study, mapping and interpretation of the surficial and environmental geology of the province for application in mineral exploration, land use planning, and other uses. This will be done through a combination of aerial photograph interpretation, field mapping, sampling for geochemistry, and analysis and interpretation of laboratory results. Field mapping involves supervision of a field party of 2 to 6 and may require field work in remote areas with access by float plane, helicopter, boat, and on foot. Field work may require absence from the home base of the employee for periods up to 3 months (overtime is generally approved for extended periods of field work). Analysis of geochemistry of surficial sediments is used in examining glacial dispersal, and assisting mineral exploration by producing maps of surface geochemistry. Responsibilities may include mapping and assessment of geological hazards. Office work includes design and maintenance of databases of geochemical and field data, aerial photograph analysis, statistical analysis of data, manipulation of digital data and maps, and preparation of maps and scientific reports.
DUTIES: The Family Justice Services Division is a multi-departmental operation which provides family justice services (education, dispute resolution and counseling) as an alternative to litigation in family law. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Family Justice Mediator conducts mediation and other types of dispute resolution between separating partners or spouses to resolve family law issues, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of children. Conducts intake assessments with clients to determine the most appropriate dispute resolution process; screens for violence/abuse/ power imbalance; and refers clients to other appropriate resources. Conducts parent education programs and performs other related duties. This is a highly confidential and independent position reporting to one of the Family Justice Regional Leads.
The OCIO provides for the operation of Government’s computer systems and infrastructure, the planning, development and implementation of new IT initiatives, the coordination of IT and information management for Government and working with the local IT industry development while meeting the needs of government.
QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires a broad and thorough understanding of the field of applied Quaternary geology. A minimum of 5 years experience in mapping of surficial sediments and their geochemistry is essential. Knowledge of glacial geology, geochemistry, geo-statistics, and aerial photograph interpretation is required. The candidate must demonstrate the ability to work independently at a high scientific standard, and possess good oral, written and organizational skills. Experience with geographical information systems, and in geological hazard assessment would be an asset. The above qualifications would normally have been acquired through graduation from an accredited university with a Ph.D in earth sciences or physical geography combined with practical experience. Consideration for placement at the Geologist II, GS-37 level may be given to individuals who do not fully meet the advertised qualifications. SALARY:
GS-42 ($53,125.80 - $62,589.80 per annum) COMPETITION #: NR.C.GIII(p).07.0222-P CLOSING DATE: October 8, 2007
QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have experience in the family law environment. (S)he will also have a proven record in mediation and dispute resolution in the family law area. (S)he will have proven ability to keep sensitive information confidential and to communicate effectively; additionally, the successful candidate will have demonstrated initiative and independence and will have developed and maintained effective work relationships. Necessary background normally acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related social sciences or equivalencies. Knowledge of current legal practices and legislation in the family law area would be an asset. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources. SALARY:
$49,012.60 - $54,836.60 per annum (GS 39) COMPETITION #: J.C.FCCI(p).07.103 - P CLOSING DATE: October 10, 2007
Applications must be submitted to:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: This position is open to both male and female. Applications should be forwarded to:
Mail:
Mail:
Fax: Email:
Staffing Specialist – Resource Sector Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 resourcesectorresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date – late applications with explanation may be considered. This position is open to both male and female. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-4014
Correctional Officer Recruit Training
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* In order to ensure your application/resume is processed appropriately, the job competition number MUST be indicated. * Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by e-mail, postal mail or fax. (If faxing, DO NOT send a duplicate copy). Late applications with acceptable explanation may be considered. * For additional information on this position, call (709) 7294513. 2007 09 21
Corrections and Community Services Division Applications are now being accepted from individuals interested in attending a Correctional Officer Recruit Training program. A twelve-week training program consisting of eight weeks classroom training and four weeks of on-the-job training is being offered by the Corrections and Community Services Division of the Department of Justice. The anticipated course start date is January 14, 2008. The Program will prepare candidates to apply for possible employment as Correctional Officers. Course content, will provide an opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary to work in an adult correctional setting. Participants may be subject to course fees, payable four (4) weeks in advance of registration, of up to $5000, Graduates of this Correctional Officer Recruit Training program will be eligible for consideration for employment with the Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Services. This does not constitute a guarantee of future employment with this Division. Applicants must have either; completed a minimum of three (3) years continuous general work experience, successfully completed two (2) years post-secondary education in social sciences, or have successfully completed a recognized provincial/federal Correctional Officer training program. Equivalencies considered. Those accepted for the competition will undergo various testing methods including physical ability testing (depending upon satisfactory medical assessment) and personal interviews. A polygraph test administered by qualified technicians with the RNC may also be included as part of the testing process. Applicants must be Canadian Citizens, possess a class 5 driver’s license and be at least 19 years of age upon completion of this Program. An ability to communicate (translate/interpret) in Innueimun or Inuktitut would be an asset for future vacancies at the Labrador Correctional Center; candidates for these vacancies will be expected to demonstrate an aboriginal cultural awareness and sensitivity. Required testing will be conducted on a regional basis if numbers warrant. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources. COMPETITION #: J.C.CORT.07.113 - P CLOSING DATE: October 12, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* In order to ensure your application/resume is processed appropriately, the job competition number MUST be indicated. * Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by e-mail, postal mail or fax. (If faxing, DO NOT send a duplicate copy). Late applications with acceptable explanation may be considered. * For additional information on this position, call (709)7291740. 2007 09 25
Procurement Officer III 2 Positions Temporary until March 31, 2008 Government Purchasing Agency, Department of Government Services 30 Strawberry March Road, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: Performs professional purchasing and audit functions within the defined mandate of the Government Purchasing Agency Act; participates in the most complex and technical of purchasing and gives advice, guidance and direction to subordinate staff, departmental officials and other agencies; deals with suppliers and the general public, often on the more complex and technical matters; audits and investigates activities to ensure compliance to policies and legislation of the Public Tender Act by all government funded bodies and identify issues for resolution; work is reviewed thorough meetings, supplier and government official feedback, review of reports and purchase orders completed; and performs related duties as required. Travel is essential to the audit duties of this position. QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires knowledge of auditing principles, practices, legislative procurement requirements and purchasing policies and procedures. Effective problem solving, organizational, analytical, oral and written communication skills and proficiency in computer program audit applications are essential. The ability to work independently using required audit and related technical skills are necessary to this function. General supervision is received through written and oral instructions and considerable initiative and judgement is exercised by positions in this class. These qualifications would normally have been acquired and demonstrated through audit experience, preferably in a purchasing environment, combined with a degree or diploma in Commerce or Business Administration supplemented by audit courses from an approved college or university, satisfactory completion of a CMA or CGA program; or any equivalent combination of experience and training. Travel will be required. SALARY: GS-33 ($39,712.40- $44,189.60) COMPETITION #: GS.C.POIII(t).07.08.169-P (Please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: October 9th, 2007 Applications, quoting competition number, should be forwarded via mail, fax or email: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-6018. This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, but does not apply to students. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. This position is open to both male & female.
DUTIES: The position is accountable for managing, planning and organizing the Enterprise (Government-wide) infrastructure and application architecture. The Manager defines policies and sets technology standards for Government and other publicly funded bodies and plans, organizes and manages the Advance Technology Group. While applying best practices, the Manager defines appropriate service levels and post implementation support regimes for enterprise development and infrastructure technologies. The Manager provides senior technical leadership and advice to the OCIO. The Manager is also responsible to coordinate the delivery of technical documentation Supports the OCIO by developing budget for Enterprise technology. Provides leadership and supervises internal and external staff and offers technical expertise in the research, development, testing and implementation of prototypes related to the selection of new technologies. Prepares a variety of documents for the Director and/or Executive. Through the establishment of a Technology Review Board, the Manager will take the lead role to govern the implementation and selection of strategic technologies within the OCIO. QUALIFICATIONS: Experience supervising senior professional and technical staff in a team environment; coursework and/or experience in leadership, conflict resolution, problem solving and knowledge of IT trends and technologies. Strong knowledge of both Application Management and Infrastructure development technologies and methodologies. Knowledge of Records and Information Management concepts and approved best practices . Excellent interpersonal, analytical, written and oral communication skills and the ability to plan, prioritize, manage time and multitask in a high pressure and fast-paced environment. Experience with budget submissions, budget monitoring, and government procurement processes. Experience with report preparation and other official technical and generic documentation. Demonstrates strong customer service orientation, the ability to make effective decisions, responsibility/ownership of work and constructive team membership. Required skills will normally have been obtained by graduation from a recognized post secondary educational programme with a specialization in Computer Studies and by experience of a related and responsible nature in a technical and multi-platform environment. Experience working on projects or in an environment which include the application of Records and Information Management practices would be considered an asset. SALARY: $54,302 – $76,023 (HL-22) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.MAT(p).07/08.103-P, please quote when applying CLOSING DATE: October 12th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail: Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-Mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. RNC Security Clearance and 24 X 7 on-call rotation are conditions of employment. Alternate work hours may also apply depending on service demands. Use of a personal vehicle may be required. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-1123.
Tenders Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: A/PROJECT # 070-07PSR – Rehabilitation of Aquaforte River Bridge on R10, km 78.81, south of Aquaforte, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON B/PROJECT # 410605063 – Asbestos/lead abatement & demolition, former Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital, Stephenville, NL. SITE BRIEFING: OCTOBER 05, 2007 @ 10:00 AM. OHIO DRIVE SITE PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2007 @ 3:00 PM Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering and Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St John’s, NL. A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax # 709-729-6729, and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association. Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering and Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation & Works
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
‘Investing in a very volatile marketplace’
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 19
Public Notice
From page 15 Stelmach said the final decision will be about balancing the “billions of dollars the private sector is investing in a very volatile marketplace and the owners, which are all Albertans.” From the report: • A call for royalty reductions for the majority of conventional oil and natural gas wells in Alberta with low production rates; increases for those with high-production wells. • Price-related royalty caps should be raised, since world energy prices have overrun the old caps. • A recommendation for a sharp increase in the province’s oilsands take to 64 per cent from 47 per cent, with smaller increased shares from conventional oil (49 per cent from 44 per cent) and natural gas (63 per cent from 58 per cent). • A call to keep the oilsands royalty rate at one per cent of gross revenues until project construction costs are recouped. But it urges raising the postpayout rate to 33 per cent of revenues minus costs — up from the current rate of 25 per cent. • “The energy industry generally took the view that little in the royalty regime and fiscal regime needs attention, while the municipalities, non-industry interest groups and the public were nearly unanimous in taking a different view.” • If the recommendations are implemented, “57 per cent of Alberta’s 15,931 conventional oil wells will pay lower royalties, as will 83 per cent of the 117,951 natural gas wells.” • The increased revenue projected from oil sands represents a seven per cent increase in the immediate term, 38 per cent increase in the medium terms, and 51 per cent increase in the long term. • The report also calls for the creation of a position or office similar of that to the auditor general to ensure the royalty structure lives up to its objectives, and the “findings must be made public and have the highest degree of credibility … “If the panel’s suggested enforcement, public reporting function and accountability culture are not created now, one can only hope for a response when the current extent of ‘data vacuum’ and seeming absence of oversight become more obvious and acute to the public at large, as it has to the panel in the course of its review.” — Independent staff
‘Are we raising another generation to go away?’ Dear editor, I am so upset because Danny Williams is offering $1,000 for every baby born or adopted in this province. What is he thinking? I think that any woman or family that believes in family planning will only have the number of babies they would have had. After the $1,000 is spent we end up having to finance these children for the rest of their lives. Or until they grow up and move away, which is not happening as much as it used to. Mr. Williams do you think we reproduce offspring for this province? What kind of jobs are they going to get when they grow up? Are they going to be working in Alberta like my brother and younger cousin because they cannot get jobs here? Are we raising another generation to go away and get jobs? We have young nurses coming out of Memorial who cannot get jobs here, only to go out west or to the U.S.A. and get wonderful jobs. Is that what we will be doing with this new generation yet unborn? It is one thing to bring a child into the world; it is another thing to take care of him or her and ensure that they are healthy, happy and safe. I would like to remind Mr. Williams that there have been news reports on the radio, etc., whereby the provincial foster-care program is looking for foster parents and the number of foster parents cannot keep up with the number of children that need to be placed. The $1,000 may encourage some lesser-minded people to think that this is a good thing and have three or four children, only to have them taken away from them by social services. There are a couple of children on my street now who are unloved, unwanted and neglected. Social services regularly visits. I get to see the children out on the street because their parent does not come home until 4 o’clock in the morning. Do we need more of this? Mr. Williams should be offering tax credits for parents of children now existing to get involved in arts programs, dance, sports and recreation instead of giving a lump sum to people who produce babies they might not want. Harry Street, St. John’s
APPEAL HEARING
Tenders
Pursuant to Section 7 of the St. John’s Urban Region Agriculture Development Area Regulations, the following appeals will be heard in the near future by the Appeal Board for the St. John’s Agriculture Zone. Eric Collins
Food Processing Facility, Neary’s Pond Road, Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philips
Mitchell Murphy
Single Family Residence, Old Bay Bulls Road, City of St. John’s
Jeremy Ruby
Single Family Residence, Ruby Line, City of St. John’s
Any person or groups who feel that they may be adversely affected by these developments should have their comments submitted in writing no later than 4:30 p.m., October 12, 2007 to: Appeal Board St. John’s Agriculture Development Area Provincial Agriculture Building P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Further information may be obtained from the Land Resource Stewardship Division, Forestry and Agrifoods Agency, Department of natural Resources, (709) 729-6599.
20 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Urban MHAs should represent double the constituents Dear editor, There are two classifications of members in the House of Assembly — urban members and rural members, with substantial different job descriptions and workloads. The issues in rural Newfoundland are much different and larger than the issues of urban areas. Urban members have little involvement or concern with road conditions, water and sewer problems, property problems, and snow-clearing
issues, which are all handled by municipal governments. Job creation is low on the radar as the employment opportunities are greater and the EI rate higher in the rural areas. Make-work projects are also never an issue in urban districts. The fishery, mining and forest industry is never on the radar screen in urban Newfoundland. Rural members are required to travel in excess of 200 miles of highway and ferries to tour
their districts, while the urban member can walk their district in an afternoon. The urban member should represent double the constituents of the rural member, this will reduce the number of MHAs in the legislature to a level which is more representative, manageable and less costly to the residents of the province and each member will have a authentic and significant position within government. Boyd Legge, Mount Pearl
HALL OF FAMER
St. John’s businessman Stan Cook Sr. was honoured by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada by being inducted into the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame during a gala ceremony in Ottawa in early September. Cook, who operates Wild Newfoundland Adventures and Stan Cook Sea Kayaking Adventures out of Cape Broyle, began offering tours in 1970. Paul Daly/The Independent
Tender Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: A/PROJECT # 105-07PHS – Installation of signs & signposts on R510 from the Quebec border to Cartwright Junction, Labrador, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 11, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON B/PROJECT # 106-07PMR – Crack sealing on Department roads in the Central & Western Regions, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $ 22.80 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 11, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON C/PROJECT # 480705002 – Construction of a new ferry terminal in Burgeo, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 10, 2007 @ 3:00 PM D/PROJECT # 210605053 – Mechanical & electrical upgrading, welding exhaust system, Transportation Depot, Clarenville, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2007 @ 3:00 PM Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering and Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St John’s, NL. A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax # 709-729-6729, the regional director, Transportation & Works, Building #86, Happy Valley Goose Bay, Labrador, A0P 1E0, Ph# 709-896-7840, Fax# 709-896-5513 (PROJECT “A” ONLY) and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association. Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering and Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation & Works
INDEPENDENTLIFE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2007 — PAGE 21
Irish dancer Shawn Silver is circled by Alex Windsor, Jennifer Crowe, Catherine Ducey and Colleen Dunn-Pickard.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Whirling dervish By Mandy Cook The Independent
I
t’s all in the shoes. Oversized tap shoes, known as hornpipes, are laced about Irish dancing dynamo Shawn Silver’s ankles with black ribbon, chunky silver buckles flashing in the sunlight streaming through iDance Studio’s window overlooking the Waterford Valley in St. John’s. Silver, the face and toe-tapping feet behind the province’s only dedicated Irish dance company, is jumping straight up as if on springs (and not the fiberglass tips which support his weight while standing on his toes), clicking his heels and tapping out a furious beat.
The well-worn hardwood is evidence to the untold number of happy feet and animated dance steps that have played out here. About 140 lovers of the traditional Irish step-dancing technique — hugely popularized by the Dublin-based Riverdance and Lord of the Dance that broke out in the mid-’90s — come to have fun and learn the rapid leg movements from Silver. But the dance instructor reveals he has a vision that goes far and beyond the recreational. Ever since the ex-Bay Street stockbroker left a 15-year-career in economics behind in the late 1990s, Silver has followed what he says is his “calling” in life. Dancing Irish jigs and reels ever since he learned them from his grandfather — a
Local Irish dancing instructor high-kicks province’s Celtic profile familial talent documented by CBC’s Land and Sea and to be broadcast on Oct. 27 — Silver has been diligently developing and fostering what he says is “a hotbed” of talent in this province. “We have the strongest Celtic culture outside Ireland itself,” he says, sitting on the floor of his studio. “We thought it was smart to add to an already very rich culture of talent and music and art and add to that an element of something that’s
become very popular.” Silver wants to use Newfoundland’s unique position as an Irish outpost and turn it into a destination location for Irish dancing talent — one of the few places in the world where dancers and enthusiasts can come to train, teach and “breed champions.” Step-dancing is first and foremost a competitive sport, he says, and there are only about 2,000 instructors worldwide. It is an extremely rigorous form of dancing, and unlike other modern forms, is closed to interpretation or improvisation. Its strict standards are upheld by an Irish dancing committee to ensure ancient techniques are not deviated from in any way.
In order to be permitted to teach others, Silver travelled to Dublin to train with the entire cast of Riverdance. It is from this connection he has been able to regularly bring title-holding and award-winning Irish dancing stars to Newfoundland, one of which, Don McCarron, will be coming to work with Silver’s dancers in October. “Don McCarron has been the Riverdance lead dancer since the age of 17,” he says. “Boys and girls who are 13, 14, know that if you’re a good Irish dancer, the door is wide open to you. It’s not just a trend … for young people, emerging artists, it provides opportunities to perform, to teach, to enter competition
asleep in a stroller; straight ahead, past a potted palm, is a staircase lined with her father’s artwork (the centre doubles as The Gerald Squires Fine Art gallery).
Squires grew up in a lighthouse in Ferryland, the child of two artists. “I feel that my childhood had a very strong influence on the direction of my life,” she says. “A lot of space, and … no trip-laying or expectations or anything. I was able to check within my own being what were my creative natural talents, my aspirations, and just follow them.” When she was 20, those talents and aspirations led Squires to an international meditation centre in the Himalayas. “It’s in the mountains, so there’s only one road going up the highest mountain there … My main training there was speaking, communication. Basically, our internal work was to articulate what was going on in the inside, and find words for it so we
See “Exploits,” page 23
Lotus of the west Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. — Thich Nhat Hanh
I
’ve always been intrigued by Meranda Squires, caught every now and then by a passing reference to the closest thing St. John’s has to a resident guru. “She ran away to India at 20, spent 17 years in an ashram.” “If Meranda were a guy, I’d marry her (one of Squires’ female devotees).” “She may be spiritual, but she’s completely practical.” “Meranda’s the real thing.” Squires, daughter of Newfoundland artist Gerry Squires, created and operates The Lotus Centre in St. John’s, which offers yoga, meditation, chanting, Thai
SUSAN RENDELL Screed and coke massage, cleansing diets and “enlightenment intensive” retreats to people seeking a spiritual solution to problems ranging from stress to broken relationships to serious trauma. She’s not the only game of that kind in town, but she is one of its few pro players. In the New Age spiritual culture, Squires is in a different league than many of her counterparts; “the people who run around collecting certificates,” as her partner Ian Goudie calls them. These flimsy documents from short courses in trendy, Astroturf paths to the Divine
attract 21st century spiritual consumers, who like to graze and are usually looking for a quick fix. They won’t find it at 52 Prescott St. There are no posters of angels or rainbows, no resin fairies, no Buddha statue holding an incense cone in one chubby hand. And definitely no “certificates,” although Squires is a certified teacher of advanced studies in sciences, vedant philosophy and meditation — and also a soma yoga instructor, a Thai-yoga bodywork practitioner, and a counsellor (“mind clearer”). When I step inside the tall house with the unlocked front door, I feel awkward, as if I’ve walked into a private residence by mistake. (Squires does live here, as it turns out.) In the front room, her sister (artist Esther Squires) bends over a child
‘IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE’ I find Squires on the second level of the three-storey house. Smooth dark skin stretches over cheekbones you could cut yourself on; the thick black-turning-grey hair has more life in it than most people I know. She is slight and sturdy, and both loose and taut. (“It’s all about balance,” she will tell me later.) But the hazel eyes are her most prominent feature: “intelligent stones,” I think. I wonder if my own eyes could ever carry such power; perhaps if I had spent hours meditating every day from age 15, like the 44-yearold Squires.
See “Creating,” page 24
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
22 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
GALLERYPROFILE
Killer Clowns
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
The Walrus was Paul
T’Would Steal Your Heart Away
American Flag
BILL ROSE Visual Artist
U
h Oh Canada is a collection of 12 works by St. John’s artist Bill Rose, some brand new, others from as far back as 1993, all loosely tied together by themes of identity — what it means to be a Newfoundlander in Canada, or what it means to be Canadian in the shadow of the U.S. It could also be labelled as a show about icons and celebrity, with a few jabs at foreign policy. A portrait of Sir Paul McCartney (on sealskin) hangs on the same wall as a bright but crumpled American flag and a smaller portrait of Joey Smallwood. There’s also work depicting Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Marilyn Monroe (her lips, at least), Canadian flags and a powerful and beautiful Niagara Falls. Images that vary in scope, size, and medium (Rose uses collage, graphite pencil, stamp pad ink and watercolour, acrylic and oil paints)
somehow work together. The themes are there, says Rose, but they’re not always pre-planned. “Usually the image has got to work for me first,” says Rose. “I don’t have a statement in mind when I begin, but I think all of my statements are basically the same … it’s about peace and love — as corny as that may seem, they’re underlying themes. It’s nothing outrageous.” One of his most recent pieces is of a crumpled Canadian flag. Six feet long and four feet high, the piece is eye-catchingly vibrant, even proud — until the viewer notices the stencilling across the width of the work: “In the time it took to make this painting, 20 Canadian soldiers were killed.” Rose says the number is accurate — he worked on the piece for three months in the summer of 2006. He titled it How I spent my summer vacation. “I thought it would be a good title,” says Rose. “Here I am, over here painting a picture, and they’re over there, in the desert, getting See “Zen-like,” page 24
The Gallery is a regular feature in The Independent. For information, or to submit proposals, please call (709) 726-4639, or e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 23
Free advice
TOWN HALL
Three simple rules to follow while on the campaign trail SEAN PANTING
State of the art
I
promised myself I wasn’t going to do it. No sir, this week I was not going write about the election. But how can I resist? The sights, the sounds, the smells of election ’07 are all around us, smacking us in the face at every turn. As someone who comes from a performance background, I am constantly astounded by the poor grasp most candidates have on the showbiz aspect of electioneering. You’d think with all that money and all those handlers with all that experience, the poor candidates would have it together for their TV, radio, print and door-to-door appearances. Big issues and party platforms and so forth may be the nuts and bolts of a campaign but, like it or not, elections are ultimately won and lost on how well you speak, how good you look and how badly the competition screws up. So for all you would-be MHAs out there, I thought I’d pass along a little free PR advice.
STOP TALKING While this is excellent advice for most people most of the time, it’s especially useful to remember if you happen to be going door to door in search of votes. Hey, I know you have things to say. That’s one of the things that drew you to politics in the first place. But once you’ve said your bit, for the love of God stop talking already. When you show up on my doorstep, do yourself a favour and resist the temptation to make awkward small talk. It’s not some kind of blind date we set up on the Internet. We both know why you’re there and what you want. Just hand me the pamphlet and make your pitch — quickly. If I don’t like what I’m hearing, saying more of it isn’t helping your cause. If I do like what I’m hearing, shutting up before you say something I don’t want to hear ensures you leave a positive impression. It’s just that simple. TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK AT YOUR POSTERS There’s not much you can do about party colours. If you’re running for the NDP and orange makes you look sallow, you’re going to have to live with that for now and maybe run for the PC nomination next time — you do look lovely in blue. The one very important thing you do have control over, however, is your photo. I know your campaign manager told you to smile for the poster. People like people who smile, he said — which is true, within certain limits. But maybe that’s a facial expression that doesn’t come naturally to you. There’s no shame in that. It may make you look pained or nauseous or, worse still, creepy. Try and get a completely honest, objective opinion on your photo from, say, a class full of junior high students. You can be guaranteed they will be forthright with you about any problems they find. If you discover that you’re just not a smiler, you may want to opt for a statesman-like look of quiet dignity. Sure, you may appear cold and haughty to some, but as a voter let me tell ya — I’ll take cold and haughty over creepy any day. NO DANCING At some point during the campaign, you will be invited to speak at a luncheon, or a dinner, or a community meeting. And at some point during that event, music — live or otherwise — will play. You may be obligated to politely clap your hands to the music or, God help us all, dance. Avoid dancing. I cannot stress that enough. I don’t care if you danced the lead in Swan Lake, busting a move at a political rally under the unforgiving glare of the TV lights will make you look fat, sweaty and ridiculous. Is it the kind of gaff that will lose you an election? Probably not. But it is going to make you look like a dork, and believe me, you don’t need that. If you must dance, make sure it’s a waltz. Waltzing is classy. Dances to be avoided at all costs include the macarena, the boot scoot ’n’ boogie and obviously the bird dance. And there you have it — three simple things you can do that just might make the difference for you. Or at least minimize the abject humiliation in what will, for many, be a humiliating election run indeed. Sean Panting is a writer, actor and musician living in St. John’s. His column returns Oct. 12.
Jeff Baggs speaks at a meeting at the LSPU Hall in St. John’s to discuss the capital city’s future performance space development. There has been ongoing debate in recent months whether businessman Paul Madden’s proposed 500-seat Capitol Theatre will compete with or complement the 200-seat Resource Centre for the Arts theatre. Nichoals Langor/The Indpendent
Exploits Riverdance From page 21 and ultimately to join some of the most fabulous shows touring the planet right now.” Silver talks as fast as he taps. It’s easy to see how someone of his intense, positive energy could not only build a “centre of excellence for Celtic dance and culture” but could also draw the globe’s Irish dancing superstars to these shores. In particular, he’s got his razor-sharp focus trained on central Newfoundland. Exploits Riverdance is a spin-off centre of iDance in Grand Falls-Windsor. Drawing on 150 dance students there, Silver and his troupe have performed at numerous festivals, including the Salmon Festival and the Flying Boat Festival this summer. Envisioning the province as his entire base, Silver says it was only natural to stage his dance centre in the middle of the island. It is there, he says, a meeting of Irish dancers, artists and Celtic cultural figures will take place next summer, establishing Newfoundland as a centre of Irish learning — similar to and on par with other Celtic institutes such as those found in Boston, San Francisco and New York. “We’ll be working with these major influences, so we can build our profile and develop our skills, and now we’re going to offer people from around the world to come and train with us,” he says. “You’ll see people from Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden. In turn, this creates employment and economic development.” With funding provided by ACOA and the provincial government, Silver will bring members of Riverdance to Grand Falls-Windsor to nurture this province’s young hopefuls. Competitive dancers from Australia, the United States and Canada will also converge at the centre. Next month he will travel to Boston on his fifth trade mission to meet with other instructors and dancers. Amidst Silver’s business-savvy seriousness courses a palpable sense of joy. He is doing exactly what he wants to be doing with his life, and it shows. His immaculately crafted strategy to bring and train the highest calibre of Celtic talent in the world to Newfoundland is conveyed with just as much enthusiasm as his demonstration of the official step-dancing Barbie doll on his shelf, shamrockprinted dress and all. “This is way beyond Uncle Jimmy dancing with the rubber boot on his head,” he says, with a twinkle in his eye. mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
24 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
What is past, passing or to come Bernice Morgan’s latest novel powerful and troubling — and her best work to date MARK CALLANAN On the shelf Cloud of Bone By Bernice Morgan Alfred A. Knoph Canada, 2007 227 pp
T
he first thing you need to know about Bernice Morgan’s Cloud of Bone is that it is the most ambitious book she has yet written; it is also her best. Morgan’s fourth book (and first novel since Waiting for Time, the 1994 sequel to her highly successful Random Passage) is divided into three sections, each of which is set in a different time period and features a different character. By the end of the novel, the narrative strands of those lives have become inextricably intertwined. Morgan begins her story with Kyle Holloway, a young St. John’s boozer and brawler who, along with his friend Valentine “Gup” Gullage, has joined the Royal Navy to battle German U-boats during the Second World War. Not 10 pages into the novel, he deserts his shipmates and hides out in an old tunnel that he, Gup, and a third friend had discovered years previous under the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Kyle is a murderer, we learn early on in the narrative — his victim: Gup. The second section is told in the voice of the dead Shanawdithit, the last of the Beothuks. It is by far the most compelling of the three stories, largely because it is written from a first person perspective, whereas the first and last sections are related from the more detached third person. This is one of the novel’s small failings: in the presence of such a visceral and convincing monologue, the other narratives appear less substantial— bookends holding the real story in place. Throughout, Morgan’s descriptions are vivid, often beautiful. Judith, the protagonist of the third section, wanders modern day London, where “Tubercular mannequins flaunt garments designed in Madrid and London, in Paris and New York — Madras
cotton skirts lined with Chinese silk, Mexican jackets embroidered like tapestries, tights patterned in plaids and checks, flower-splashed coats …” But as I have suggested, the most moving writing here comes in the plangent, proud and justifiably enraged voice of Shanawdithit: “Dogmen believe in order and in the power of straight. I who trod their straight paths and lived inside their straight walls for six weary winters know this. Cleaning their stinking chamber pots, scrubbing their floors, tending their children, I learned more of Dogmen than Dogmen ever learned of me. Dogmen breed and bleed, eat and shit, they are born, love, feel joy, they feel pain and die just as people do. Yet they are not people.” At its root, Cloud of Bone is about the horrors human beings visit upon each other. It is an imperative to connect the atrocities of the past to the atrocities we continue to commit to this day. The book’s epigraph, from Milan Kundera’s The Book of Laughter and
Forgetting, provides the key to understanding Morgan’s main thematic (and decidedly bloody) thrust. “The struggle of man against power,” the quote runs, “is the struggle of memory against forgetting.” Memory is both bane and boon in Morgan’s novel. “It would be nice to be like that — have no past, have it all gone each morning,” Kyle thinks. And yet, as Shanawdithit says of the Beothuk: “Without stories the People would be adrift in time.” Storytelling is the act of bringing the past into the present by fitting memory — the sum of our fragmented impressions and experiences — together into a coherent whole, a narrative framework. To be “adrift in time” is to be without a past, and by extension, without moral context. For Kyle, haunted as he is by the murder of Gup, life without memory would be a blessing; for Morgan’s Beothuk, memory is a necessity, an anchor to reality. It is even more problematic for Judith, an anthropologist who is grieving the death of her husband. To her, our memory of the extinct Beothuk (in books, in our troubled conscience) is ethically confusing. “What would I know of Shanawdithit’s vanished world were it not for Cormack and his like,” she wonders of the man who studied the captive Beothuk woman, recording much of what we now know of their language and culture. And yet, Judith points out, it was Cormack and men like him who “returned later to pillage Beothuk graves.” One might be tempted to explain that intention separates the archaeologist from the grave robber; Morgan asks us to consider whether the ends ever justify the means. Her characters kill in self-defence, in the defence of others, in acts of vengeance, with the sanction of governments; they kill out of fear, rage, hatred; they kill in order to gain power or maintain it. But is any one motivation more just than the others? I’m not convinced Cloud of Bone is a complete success from start to finish (it does tip, at points, toward over-moralizing), but it is a powerful and morally troubling piece of work from one of this province’s best storytellers. I hope it is received as such. Mark Callanan writes from St. John’s. His column returns Oct. 12.
Creating community From page 21 would develop our communication skills and eventually become teachers.” Two decades later, Squires came back to Newfoundland. “It was a big shock to me … I didn’t know how to drive (or) use the computer. I didn’t know how the Western world thought, what the thinking patterns were anymore. I learned most of Western society after the age of 37.” Squires and Goudie are currently working on building The Tree Meranda Squires Paul Daly of Life Centre in Salmonier. The purpose of the centre, Squires tells me, will be to create community. She says she’s tired of running everything. “What I want is a bunch of strong people around me — so that if I’m going through something I’d like to be able to relax and just let someone else lead. I believe in community, as opposed to one person always being the leader.” You’d make a lousy politician, I say. “I know,” she says, nodding solemnly. “This (the Lotus) centre is connecting with that centre (in Salmonier), and the whole idea is that the people need nature. We’ve created a whole thing where people can come out for nature days, weekends. There are things you can do on the land … gardening, raking, carpentry. A ton of different little tasks all over the place.” Work on the new centre is carried out under a barter system: people involved in building The Tree of Life Centre receive credits for services offered by The Lotus Centre. Squires says the Lotus Centre attracts all kinds of people. “The work that I do is about attracting people who are quite already independently strong, but need more direction in their life,” she says. Some show up just for an occasional yoga class. “But generally, my intention is to create community — and community means some sense of being dedicated to this process, to the work on themselves and to developing that with others.” I leave the Lotus Centre thinking about a stressed-out professional of my acquaintance who recently began counselling and meditation classes with Squires. To the surprise of both of us, her level of self-awareness has jumped dramatically, and she’s shedding stress like cat hair. I think what a great gift Squires has given her — and many others — all because she travelled so far, sitting in meditation for 17 years on that mountain. srendell@nf.sympatico.ca
‘Zen-like’ process From page 22 killed. So I thought just to add a little bit of humour to a really dark piece; a different way of coming around to the issue. I could write ‘war sucks’ on it, but it wouldn’t have the same power. “Sometimes I find the topics so dark I have to come at them from a humourous point of view. Maybe sometimes people will think I’m being flippant, but I’m not … I’m trying to be entertaining too, I guess.” The pieces hanging in Christina Parker’s gallery are tightly tied together by technique. All share Rose’s trademark grids, some more obvious than others. Before starting any major work, Rose draws a grid on both his source image (whether photograph, found object, or his own composition) and his blank canvas. Through a painstakingly careful process, the image is transferred from grid to grid, a block at a time. (“It’s quite Zen-like,” he says.) Sometimes the image is more realistically rendered in coloured paint; at other times Rose uses just black ink pad and a single small stamp to break apart — and recreate — the image. Standing inches away from T’Would Steal Your Heart Away, Rose’s 2007 portrait of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, only a faint grid drawn in pencil, and a random series of small grey stamps, each in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head, are obvious. Step back four or five metres, and the dots come together to become an unmistakable face. Rose says his home studio isn’t large enough to allow him to evaluate his work — he has to look through binoculars, backwards, to see how it looks from a distance. He’s been working with and perfecting his grid technique for 25 years. There are often hidden messages or surprises within Rose’s work — a tiny rose stamped at the very bottom right-hand corner of the giant portrait of Trudeau (which itself is made up of thousands of small Maple Leaf stamps), or the words “body bag” stenciled in red on a red stripe at the bottom of American Flag. Then there’s the portrait of McCartney. The idea for the piece came to Rose a year and a half ago, during the rock superstar’s anti-sealhunting trip to Eastern Canada. The Walrus was Paul is made up of tiny dollar-sign stamps — he is the richest musician in the world, after all — on the inside of a sealskin coat. “I’d love to see that one in Williams’ office,” laughs Rose, a longtime Beatles fan. “It kind of sums the whole thing up, that moment in time. “It was a big deal when he was here, at least in my mind … who knows what was going through his head? “But at least I got a piece out of it.” Uh Oh Canada will be on display at the Christina Parker Gallery, St. John’s, until Oct. 12. stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca
INDEPENDENTSTYLE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2007 — PAGE 25
SOUS LE CHAPEAU Christopher Fox wears a black felt fedora, made by Montreal’s Magill Hat Manufacturing Inc. Available at Chafe and Sons, 326-330 Water St., St. John’s, $90.
By Mandy Cook The Independent
W
hile the latest phenomenon of the flat-bibbed baseball cap can be found on male heads throughout malls and high schools everywhere (replacing the equally inexplicable bib-to-one-side look, or, the “locked” effect), a host of other hat styles are available to men who wish to complete their
look from head to toe. According to Heather Chafe, of Wm. L. Chafe and Son Ltd. on Water Street in St. John’s, the store’s choice selection of men’s hats are flying off the shelves. Some, like their bad-weather leather caps, are so highly coveted they are kept behind the counter to thwart would-be thieves. But by far, the Greek Fisherman hat is the most popular model. “Other than the salt and pepper hat, it’s
Men top it off with a selection of cool lids for fall the most sought after. We actually bring them in from Greece ourselves which enables us to sell it for half for what it
sells for in Toronto and Montreal. I would think everybody in Newfoundland must already have two by the amount of what we’ve sold,” she says. According to Chafe, the wide-brimmed Tilley sailing hat is a popular item among men, as well as policeman-inspired fur hats, Davy Crockett hats made of all types of fur — including the Newfoundland favourite, muskrat — and even the flat-top, felt porkpie hat pre-
Paul Daly/The Independent
ferred by artists and musicians. The current overwhelming choice of hat for men, however, seems to be the fedora. Whether drawing inspiration from Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal days or the “gangster look” of today’s hip-hop stars, the fedora makes for an instant boost of class. Bob Squires, manager of Le Chateau at See “Typical,” page 29
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
26 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
The real cost of eating out A
ll of us need a little help in our lives. We’re tired and worn out by the end of the week and we’re certainly not always in the mood to deal with the minutiae of the end of the day. Like deciding what’s for supper. A recent survey showed more and more families are eating out during the week as part of their overall plan to save time. Time they might be saving — but as for the bottom line and their overall health, they’re losing out. Planning the meal at the end of a hard and mentally exhausting day can be the last straw for most people. Something has to give. In order to appease the children whining and asking, “What’s for dinner?” the simplest solution is to order takeout or drive-thru for their favourite McVittles. Sounds easy, and we’re all guilty of doing it. But the real question is: what is the result of doing
NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path this all the time? Childhood obesity is rising, and as North Americans we have a higher rate of childhood obesity than any of the other Western nations. Why? Because fast food is a cheap option and those cheap options are filled with cheap fats, and cheap fats are trans fats. The bad fats. The unhealthy fats. I know caloric intake is not an accurate measure of what is healthy — any nutritionist will explain the complexities of the matter — but I can give some hard facts. Canadian government recommendations are for about 2,000 calories with no more than 65 grams of
fat and 2,400 mg of sodium (salts of any form) as daily intake. Go to the fridge and take out a pound of butter or margarine. Cut it lengthwise in half and then lengthwise in half again. You should have four sticks. Take one stick of butter and cut it in thirds. That’s how much fat is in a standard Big Mac — about 30 grams of fat. And you haven’t had the fries or drink yet. The whole nine yards, including a beverage and fries, rings in at a whopping 1,700 calories, 70 grams of fat and 2,300 mg of sodium. So a growing teen would have a paltry 300 calories to spread over the rest of the day, in order to comply with the recommended daily caloric intake. Absurd. I could go on and on spouting statistics of how the food industry is killing us and our kids. It’s not going to change the fact that we have to examine what we eat every day — for our health and
also for our wallets. We complain the economy is going down the toilet and money doesn’t go as far as it used to. We’re eating out more often than we used to and the cumulative effect, known in economic circles as the “latte effect,” is thinning out our pockets faster than you can say “skinny-grande-latte-extra-hot to go, please.” TRUST THE MATH Economists trust the math on this, so I guess I have to, as well. That threedollar cup of coffee you buy every day actually costs you $16,000. Now I heard there was some price gouging at Starbucks, but that is ridiculous. All kidding aside, the latte effect is compound math. Three dollars a day is $90 a month. That $90 monthly investment at a return of 8 per cent annually over the next 10 years amounts to
$16,000. It would also net $53,000 over 20 years of saving at the same rate. See? Food is killing us. It sucks up our money and can cause health problems whether you think you’re eating well or not. For the most part we spend too much time agonizing over if a certain item is good for us or not. When all is said and done, it’s all about choice — do I want it or not? Now I have to go. My supper is getting cold and this column is hours overdue. I’m out to see family any minute now and my fatty Wendy’s cheese and bacon monstrosity is getting cold. But it’s OK. I got the baked potato … with sour cream … it’s the healthy choice after all. Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com
TASTE
Count on pound cake By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service
A
nother school year full of bake sales has begun. You can’t go wrong with a classic pound cake, like this one. Decorate it any way you like. CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE Adapted from astray.com. I used a tube pan with a detachable base. CAKE • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature • 3 cups granulated sugar • 5 large eggs • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup cocoa powder • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1 1/4 cups whole milk • 1 tsp vanilla extract ICING • 4 cups icing sugar • 1/2 cup cocoa powder • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1/3 cup hot milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. For cake, put butter, shortening and sugar in large bowl. Beat on medium speed with electric mixer until fluffy, about four minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Sift together flour and cocoa into medium bowl. Stir in salt and baking power. Pour milk into measuring cup. Add vanilla. Using mixer at medium speed, beat in third of flour mixture, then half of milk mixture, then half of flour mixture, then remaining milk mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Scrape down sides. Mix at low speed until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 325F oven until tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool on rack. Remove from pan. For icing, sift together sugar and cocoa into medium bowl. In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy. At low speed, beat in third of sugar mixture. Beat in milk. Beat in remaining sugar mixture. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down sides. On medium-high speed, beat until fluffy. Spread on cooled cake. Makes 16 servings.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 27
Buy Local. SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS IN NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Café comfort Coffee shops around the province offer hot drinks, home-cooked meals, yummy sweets and a great place to chat
B
rad Burness, owner of Coffee & says. Hollett is getting ready to close down Company on Water Street in St. for the winter. While she’s ready for a wellJohn’s, says a few things have cer- deserved rest, she will miss the day-to-day tainly changed during his eight years in the interaction she has had with her customers café business. — and they will miss her as well. “When we started out here, there were “I have customers I see every day and they only two coffee houses in the area, now there say they can’t remember how to cook a are five,” he says. Yet, he continues, it’s what meal,” she laughs. hasn’t changed that matters most. Sharon Grandy of Sharon’s Nook and Tea “Every small family-owned business has Room in Grand Bank says, after 10 years in to make their mark if they want to survive, the café business, her regulars now serve and we are good at what we do,” he says. themselves. “People might say they come in What his store does best, he continues, is for the coffee and cheesecake, but they realoffer high-quality products ly love the company.” and customer service that’s With the steady slew of second to none. men she sees coming in for “I make meals by Coffee & Company is the their daily yarn and mug up, largest retail distributor of she says she’s learned a the day, the old luxurious Godiva chocothing or two. First? “Men lates in eastern Canada. The talk more than any woman I fashioned way. café also attracts those wanhave ever known in my dering the downtown core life,” she says. And? “I can’t The only difference with the scent of specialty wait for this election to be is, I don’t serve beverages and freshly made over because I know more lunches. now that anyone needs to you leftovers “You’ll immediately know when it comes to polsmell fresh-brewed coffee itics.” on Mondays.” in the air or be drawn in by Grandy says it’s natural to the scent of garlic on the chat over a good cup of tea Anne Hollett grill as you walk by,” he or a mug of coffee. “I’m a says. “Once we get you in social butterfly myself, so if once, you will be back.” you can enjoy a great piece Anne Hollett of By D’Rock Café in Burin of cheesecake (Grandy has over 45 different says she can’t believe the success she’s seen flavours) while you sip and chat with friends, in her first year in business. “I thought there then I would say life is pretty good.” would be times when I would be in here Getting to know your regulars and making twiddling my thumbs, but I’ve wished for them feel at home, says Grandy, is her bread time for that more than once since we and butter. opened.” Burness agrees, adding that sometimes it’s Hollett has served more than 3,500 hungry the little things that count. customers since May, she says, pausing to “You personalize the space, catering to turn off her browning fishcakes. who is there at the time by selecting the right “The coffee is fresh and the pies are home- music choice,” he says. Burness likes to get made,” she says. “Even the bread we make to know his regulars by name, and enjoys our sandwiches on is homemade.” discovering little bits about their lives. He Most from Newfoundland and Labrador also says treating the staff like family is also would be familiar with her menu. “I make important. meals by the day, the old fashioned way. The “You see many places with help wanted only difference is, I don’t serve you leftovers signs up, but we have never had to do that on Mondays.” here,” he says. Burness says many of his Hollett offers fishcakes and toutons on staff started out with him when they were in Mondays, baked beans and bologna on high school and have stayed with the café as Tuesdays, salt fish and brewis on they make their way through university. Wednesday, beef stew and pastry on “Having low staff turnover means we have Thursdays, pan-fried cod on Fridays and pea an atmosphere of familiarity and that certainsoup on Saturdays. There’s a special brunch ly adds to the Coffee & Company experieach Sunday morning and a cold plate served ence,” he says. in the afternoon — but she will cook up a Grandy has to go tidy up after her lunch scoff of jigs dinner if requested. rush and get ready for the afternoon crowd “When you’re catering to the public and that will soon drop by to sip tea, eat muffins you’re just starting out like I am, then you and share a slice of cheesecake over a bit of need to work with your strengths and be able chatter. “I love seeing my regulars coming to adapt,” she says. Like many in the café the same as I love to see a new face,” she business, Hollett says the best part of her job says. “It’s the Newfoundland hospitality way is the social aspect. about us I guess, we love to cater to every“I have met people from as far away as body.” France and from as close as next door,” she — Pam Pardy Ghent
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
28 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE CHICAGO By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service
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he holds up a whole cod, split, gutted and salted. It is as big as her torso. “I think we must clap for the fish,” says Ingrid Espelid Hovig. Hovig, the Julia Child of Norway, figures it must weigh eight kilograms (18 pounds). Around here, we don’t see monsters like that. And we don’t necessarily think of salt cod as a fish worth applauding. It smells like fishy old socks. It draws flies, and hostile stares from those North American shoppers who are unfamiliar with its history and immune to its allure. But millions of cooks around the world look fondly upon the familiar triangles of dried codfish, or thick white cod fillets, gritty with salt. Salt cod is cross-cultural comfort food. You can find it anywhere from the kitchen of an Italian grandmother to the menu of a four-star restaurant. Fulvia Sesani nods aristocratically at the cod. She, too, is a fan of the fish. Sesani is tag-teaming at a cooking demo with Hovig on a hi-tech kitchen stage in Chicago. Hovig, author of 37 cookbooks, is introduced as “the mother and food ambassador of Norway.” Sesani teaches traditional Venetian cooking at her palace in Piazza San Marco. The white-haired ladies have travelled from opposite corners of Europe and across the Atlantic to applaud the cod at a conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. “Venetian cuisine is very basic and very simple and very genuine,” Sesani says. So is salt cod, she adds. Sesani whips up a “mousse” of salt cod and olive oil, to be spread on toast like bruschetta. And in seeming
Fried, baked, grilled or sautéed, the once lowly salt cod is truly cross-cultural comfort food
Applaud the cod
overkill, she pairs and poaches the fish with anchovies. Hovig prepares a casserole with salt cod, pepper and tomatoes, and as a salute to Norwegian mothers, cod with creamy carrots, bacon and chopped, hard-cooked egg. For centuries, Norway has been the world’s largest exporter of salt cod. “This is a love story, with the cod
coming to the Norwegian coast every February,” Hovig says. “This dry, salted cod is exported throughout the whole world.” The Norwegians call it klippfisk, the Spanish bacalao, the Italians baccalà, the Portuguese bacalhau, the French morue — and they forgive it its sins. Salt cod is easy to prepare, but not easy to prepare well. It has to be soaked for
a day or two or three. The texture should be firm but tender; it is liable to wind up tough. Yet over the centuries, the ways to prepare it have multiplied. For the miracle of salt cod, you don’t need any loaves, just fishes. They often end up in a creamy base and are apt to be mated with potatoes rather than rice, like France’s Brandade de Morue. The Miami-Cuban casserole Bacaloa a la Cerito layers potatoes, salt cod, bell pepper, onion, tomato sauce, lime and capers. African cooks may present salt cod curried with potatoes, or modernize it, as celebrity chef Marcus Sammuelsson does, in a warm potato salad with onion, chilies, peanuts, curry powder and tamarind vinaigrette. A Roman dish with Jewish roots has salt cod simmering with wine, tomatoes, pine nuts and raisins. In Greece, salt cod rules on Annunciation Day, March 25; it may be battered, fried and served with garlicky skordalia sauce, or stewed with wine, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, leeks, olives, tomatoes and raisins. On tapas tables in Spain, you may find a salt cod and potato cake topped with fried egg and served with tomato garlic confit. Salt cod soup with olives is part of the Creole repertoire. A North American take may be Mark Bittman’s salad with salt cod, mixed greens, orange, tomato, olives and parsley. Salt cod cakes run the gamut. Puerto Rico’s fried Bacalaitos are dipped in garlic-lime sauce. An Oliver & Bonacini recipe from Toronto Taste features salt cod, potato and herb fritters with caper tartar sauce. Portugal’s famous cod cakes are called Pasteis de Bacalhau. That cod-crazed country is home to the world’s biggest fans of the fish. In Portugal, salt cod was once known as “fiel amigo,” or faithful friend. There was a popular saying, too, that a girl wasn’t ready for marriage unless she knew at least 365 ways to prepare salt cod, one for every day of the year. Back in Toronto, chef Albino Silva says there aren’t really that many. He grew up on a farm in northern Portugal, was a culinary school teacher, and ran restaurants across North America before opening Chiado. Many salt cod recipes, Silva says, are
variations on traditional themes. He plays with these themes at his chic and expensive restaurant. Chiado offers salt cod on the lunch, dinner and tapas menus. It may be grilled gently with olive oil, turned into cod cakes alongside fresh tomato risotto, or play a starring role in salad. Another Portuguese favourite, Silva says, is Cod a Braz. Instead of a long soaking, the salt is quickly removed from the cod, which is then flaked and stir-fried with onion, egg, parsley, olive oil and black olives. “In Portugal, salt cod is of huge importance,” Silva says. “Think of expensive items — good cod is at the top of the list.” Indeed, salt cod is no longer sustenance for the poor man. Although there are cod stocks in other parts of the world, the supply fell and prices rose after the collapse of the fishery off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. In Norway, salt cod comes in a variety of grades, sizes and prices. For example, Hovig favours a loin cut that runs about $300 a kilogrom. Silva uses Norwegian cod. He warns shoppers to look for a trustworthy vendor because, nowadays, inferior whitefish is being passed off as salt cod. Salt cod is no longer a second-class substitute for fresh fish, either. Once salted as a practical measure, it is treasured for its unique flavour and texture. Traditionally, salt cod was dried on scaffolds on rocks. Now, for mass markets, it is dried in factories using fans. We are an impatient society. In Portugal, Silva says, seacoasts where cod was once dried have been built up with condos. The cod, meanwhile, is transported to huge warehouses. Silva has good memories of salt cod at the family table. “To most Portuguese, the most memorable salt cod experience is the evening of the 24th of December, and we don’t eat meat. You eat steamed cod that day with vegetables and potato and chickpeas — the vegetable is kale. And you drizzle it with olive oil.” Diners also get cod cakes, cod salad and pan-fried cod, Silva says. And by cod, he means salt cod. “Cod is really the king of the table,” he says.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 29
Discovery days
‘Typical of a gentleman’ From page 25
The last day of summer brings an afternoon of beachcombing and treasure hunting
T
he last day of summer was a perfect day — one that needed to be spent outside. Still, my call to “get on outside” was met with a moaned “there’s nothing to do here.” I grabbed a bucket for the berries I planned to pick, packed a makeshift picnic bag, whistled to the dog and barked for Brody to get his arse out the damn door. We headed up the hill, grabbing another young fella and another pup in the process. It was hot, and the hill steep. Only the dogs seemed excited. I carried everything since the contrary little boys I had carted along seemed barely able to carry themselves. At the top of the hill the boys resigned themselves to the day’s destiny and began to act a little less cantankerous. They talked about heading towards Dinosaur Rock, so that’s the path we took. Despite their earlier resistance, the boys chatted and began to explore. I picked a few berries along the way when they slowed or paused to check out a rabbit path or some print left in the mesh, but for the most part we just walked. We found ourselves nearing the beach, but to commit to such a trek required a tricky downhill descent and an even more challenging uphill climb to get back out of it. The dogs were already belly deep in the calm sea and the boys, as if in a trance, headed down without complaint. Brody’s friend wanted to show off his grandfather’s apple tree, and we left our path so he could share its secret location. He honoured us with tiny red apples and we snacked on them as we fought our way — again without complaint — back through nearly bare, yet still prickly, raspberry bushes and back on the narrow path to the ocean. When we arrived, I spread out the snacks. It was still hot and there wasn’t so much as a breeze even by the sea. I figured the kids were
All-Canadian road trip By Bernadette Morra Torstar wire service
W
hen planning a recent trip to Hong Kong, I consulted the notebook I keep beside my
bed. It’s my personal wardrobe bible, and it documents the clothes I have taken on past trips. I started my little book a few years ago, when I was planning what to take on a European vacation. I sketched outfits from top to toe, with notes on shoes, purses and scarves. I divided them into city looks for Paris, and sailing looks, for the Mediterranean coast. There were sub-groups for day and night. I figured I could edit the outfits on paper, to avoid taking too much. Well, that was the theory, anyway. There are no photos in my book — only drawings that are quite embarrassing in terms of skill. But no one will ever see my rudimentary scribbles. At least I hope not. A rival fashion editor could easily use them to blackmail me. My depictions of footwear are particularly laughable. But I know what my drawings refer to, and that is all that matters. I have since done the same for other vacations, working trips to New York, and that mind-altering week I spent at the Paris couture shows last January. Whenever I am about to embark on a new journey, I consult the relevant “chapter” to remind myself what outfits I took previously, so I can start to formulate what to take again. Designers have their sketchbooks of new looks of the future; I have my sketchbook of best outfits of the past. What is remarkable about my little book is that most of the clothes are Canadian. I only realized this recently as I scanned back over the pages of Lida Baday shift dresses, Tevrow + Chase cashmeres, Pink Tartan jackets and Ports 1961 coats before my recent trip to Hong Kong. My closet, on the other hand, is a G7 of international labels — mostly Italian, French and American, with some dashes of British, German and Japanese. But packing for travel requires scrupulous editing, and what ultimately goes into the suitcase must be multifunctional, comfortable and good-looking — the wardrobe workhorses we rely on most. Stylish enough for chic dinners out. Easy enough for hikes through medieval hilltop villages. Cozy enough for dozing on overseas flights. Polished enough to meet hosts at the other end. The clothes I wear most are Canadian. Canadian designers are brilliant at marrying the au courant with the oh, so practical. They fuse European polish with American sportswear ease. This fall is no different. I have been wowed by the European runways, but I know my dollars are best See “European,” page 30
PAM PARDY GHENT
Seven-day talk operating on their last ounce of strength and patience, so I thought we’d have a sit down and a mug up before heading on home out of it. But the tide was low and there was much to discover. As Brody checked out the many jellyfish left abandoned on the beach, his buddy turned over kelp-covered rocks in search of crawly sea creatures that might be lurking there. While he didn’t find any, he remained optimistic, pausing from his endeavour to see if I had brought a lighter for a boil-up feast he was planning on having. I didn’t have one, but I did have a plastic bag. That, he announced, was just as good. I sat and watched for a while, busying myself with tossing sticks and stones into the water for the dogs. The lads would head off, then return to where I sat to share some treasure they had found. Each new item was added to my berry bucket. Soon it was packed with special rocks, shells, feathers and coloured bits of smooth glass. The boys were now far enough down the beach that I could no longer hear their chatter. Since they didn’t seem in a hurry to head home, I left our things and followed behind. I caught up with them just as Brody let out a scream. “Mom!” he called, “I found a pterodactyl skull!” Before I even saw the remains I figured he had found the cleaned head of a moose or a caribou, but their excitement caused me to keep my mouth shut. The boys were sure this was what was left of the last dinosaur ever. They gently picked the kelp and cleaned the dirt off their treasure before handing it to me to carry so they could see if there were any more remains amongst the rocks and cliffs. I took it,
though I wasn’t overly keen on handling the thing. An abandoned bucket soon held their find and I carried it far in front of me as I followed behind the junior explorers. I found the next treasure. A bone, bigger than any I had ever seen. The boys were now hellbent on finding more. I knew they didn’t want to leave, but considering what I now had to lug back up the ragged hill I figured it was time. The tide was quickly rising and I was also concerned we wouldn’t get back around the narrow beach areas to the path. We had to go. This time the boys shared my load and we gingerly made our way back up to the path. No one complained of the heat or the scratches they were getting on their arms and legs as full hands could no longer stop snapping branches. We travelled in single file, the boys excitedly talking about showing off their finds to the rest of the harbour. When we arrived back our goodies were examined by the wisest in the community. No one could agree on what we had found. Some called it a porpoise skull; one claimed it to be a small whale. Others thought it was the skull of a large moose. Whatever it had been, it was now a child’s treasure and my son gave it a place of honour in my office. As I tucked Brody into bed that evening I reminded him that when he woke it would be fall. Summer, I whispered into his hair, was officially over. He was past exhausted, but gave me a mildly sad look and managed an “awww” in protest before turning to cuddle into his pillow for the night. I smiled. For a child who had claimed there was nothing to do here in this little outport on this last day of summer he sure seemed content. I went on the Internet to see if I could find out what the skull he had found had been. I think I know, but I will save that news for another day. For now, thinking it was once a pterodactyl sounds like a fun way to start off the fall. pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
the Avalon Mall in St. John’s, says men can be even more particular than women about their appearance — insisting on building a finished look that always includes a hat. “There are more guys that are fashion forward than you think,” he says. “Fedoras are always a fashion issue, especially for a New Year’s Eve party when they like to pair them with a suit. It’s a touch of nostalgia, like a pinstriped suit a la Al Capone.” The one-size fits all toque is still the overwhelming choice amongst men, says Squires, because “most men can pull off a toque.” Poor-boy caps, like those worn by newspaper corner boys back in the day, are also in vogue, arriving on shelves this fall in tweed and corduroy. Not only do they keep out the weather, they are crushable, can be jammed in a bag, sat on, or stuck in a back pocket. Randy Stratton, 36, says he prefers a straight-up baseball cap — curved bib, thank you very much — stemming from playing sports as a kid. It’s a little something extra to spruce up his mostly dark wardrobe. “I like to add a bit of colour because I mostly wear blacks and browns,” he says. “Hats are just nice to wear, they’re expensive and I just like wearing them.” Chafe says there are still old-school hat enthusiasts who wouldn’t leave the house without a proper topper. A regular Water Street walker always doffs his hat to her in a gesture of greeting. “It’s so classy and typical of a gentleman.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
30 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
EVENTS
Submit your events to Kayla Email: kayla.joy@theindependent.ca Phone: (709) 726-INDY (4639) Fax: (709) 726-8499
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 • Judge Prowse Presiding, 2 p.m., So, Let’s Bring on our Favourite: The Joan Morrissey Story, 8 p.m., and Jewel, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. • I Only Wanted to Learn French Knots, exhibition showcasing three years of embroidery study by 10 individuals, Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art and Design, 4-6 p.m., also Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Sunday, 7-9 p.m. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 • Positive Thinker’s Club breakfast, special guest T.A. Loeffler on Lessons from High Places, Bally Haly, St. John’s, 9 a.m. • Fall and Christmas bake/craft sale, door prizes and refreshments, 419 Old Broad Cove Rd., St. Philip’s, 10 a.m.-4p.m. • HB Creativity workshop, hands-on tips to help you produce well-written documents and stories, led by Paul Butler, suite 304, 155 Water St., 2-5 p.m., 753-7740, www.writingworkshop.ca • A Tidy Package, 2 p.m., and The Nobleman’s Wedding, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. • Election ’07: Pretending Your Vote Counts, weekly comedy wrap-up of all things provincially electoral, Rabbittown Theatre Company, corner of Linscott and Merrymeeting Road, St. John’s, 8 p.m., also showing Oct. 6, 739-8220. • Blessing of the Animals, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John’s, 2 p.m., 576-0586. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 • Open casting call, Rabbittown Theatre, New Curtain Theatre Company and Patchwork Productions holding open auditions for upcoming shows, 1 p.m., Rabbittown Theatre building, corner of Linscott and Merrymeeting Road, St. John’s, booking deadline Sept. 29, 9 p.m. • Jewel, 2 p.m., and A Tidy Package, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 • Evening with Margaret Trudeau in recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Trudeau will share her personal story of recovery, The Fairmont, St. John’s. • Judge Prowse Presiding, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 • Terese’s Creed, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. • Kittiwake Dance Theatre presents Fall Fashion Show, fundraiser, Club One, St. John’s, 8:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 • Ian Foster hosts Folk Night at the Ship Pub, 9 p.m. Presented by the St. John’s Folk Arts Council. • Judge Prowse Presiding, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4 • Using Film to Shape Their Future, illustrated talk with Susan Newhook, University of King’s College School of Journalism for The Fogo Press, how film played a significant role in the revitalization of Fogo Island, The Rooms, 7 p.m. • Terese’s Creed, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 • Reign: YC 2007, annual provincial youth convention featuring renowned music guests, speakers and other entertainers, Mile One Centre, St.
John’s, until Oct. 7, registration required, www.ycnewfoundland.org. • Terese’s Creed and Judge Prowse Presiding, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-4643377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. • Mercy the Sexton live at The Ship, St. John’s, 11 p.m. • Read My Lips free teen open mic for musicians, songwriters, and poets ages 13-20 years, AC Hunter Library, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 7-9 p.m. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 • Closing night of Autumn in the Bight, Judge Prowse Presiding, 2 p.m., So, Let’s Bring on our Favourite: The Joan Morrissey Story, 8 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-464-3377, www.risingtidetheatre.com. UPCOMING • Oktoberfest Craft Fair, Oct. 8, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Reid Community Centre, Mount Pearl. • Fundamentals of Selling, workshop with veteran sales representative/marketer and professional communicator Gary Summers, Oct. 9-10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 737-7979, www.mun.ca/lifelonglearning. • Rising Tide Theatre and the Arts and Culture Centres present the provincial tour of So, Let’s Bring on our Favourite: The Joan Morrissey Story, Oct. 10-20, www.artsandculturecentre.com, www.risingtidetheatre.com. • CLB Band Reunion, CLB Armoury, Harvey Road, St. John’s, Oct. 11, 747-5701 or 579-4800. • Two-weekend coastal navigation workshop with Captain Jan Negrijn, Oct. 13-14 and 27-28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 737-7979, www.mun.ca/lifelonglearning. • Children’s Wish Foundation St. John’s Wishmaker Parade Walk for Wishes, Water Street, St. John’s, Oct. 14, registration, 9-10 a.m., parade, 10 a.m. For more information call 7399474. • Travel writing, with award-winning writer/broadcaster, Marjorie Doyle, Thursdays, Oct. 18 through Nov. 8, 737-7979, www.mun.ca/lifelonglearning. • Wesley United Church fish cake sale, orders should be made prior to Oct. 15 by calling 5793682 or 368-3941. Pick up is scheduled for Oct. 27, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. • The Alzheimer Society’s Halloween Gala, sponsored by Sun Life Financial, to purchase tickets call 576-0608, Alzheimer_eventsplanner@nf.aibn.com. • St. Michael’s Printshop invites submissions from Printmakers to apply for a one-month residency at St. Michael’s Printshop, 72 Harbour Dr., St. John’s, application deadline Oct. 31. ONGOING • Historical Walking Tours, Tuesday and Friday mornings until Nov. 30, 75 minutes, 364-6845, www.boyletours.com. • All ’Round the Circle dinner theatre, The Collonade, 6 East Dr., Pleasantville, every Wednesday through Friday, 690-9929. • The Rooms, St. John’s, free admission Wednesday nights, 6-9 p.m., www.therooms.ca. • Occupied St. John’s (book), wartime St. John’s oral history project, sponsored by the Paul Johnson Family Foundation, interviewees needed, contact 747-4113, or e-mail k_ohare@alcor.concordia.ca. • The Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art and Design is now offering a variety of adult evening classes and weekend workshops, registration also ongoing for Young Artist Program, 278 Duckworth St. Preregistration required for all classes, 739-7623, annatempletoncentre@gmail.com.
Petrina Bromley stars in Rising Tide’s So, Let’s Bring on our Favourite: The Joan Morrissey Story.
IN THE GALLERIES • The Will and Greg Show, new work by William Gill and Greg Bennett, Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, St. John’s, runs until Sept 29. • Natural Energies by Anne Meredith Barry (1931–2003), including 90 works created since 1982, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Sept. 30. • Uh Oh Canada, a suite of works by artist Bill Rose, Christina Parker Gallery, until Oct. 19. • Speaking Out of Turn, Upstarts on the Make, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador,
Ned Pratt photo
display of the fine quality of art and craft emerging from the under-30 demographic, 59 Duckworth St., until Oct. 27. • Defiant Beauty: William Hind in the Labrador Peninsula, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Nov. 10. • The Prints of Albrecht Durer, 53 works from the National Gallery of Canada’s fine collection of Durer prints, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Nov. 25.
European designer clothes don’t travel well From page 29 spent on designers here at home. John Galliano can tuck and drape till the silkworms crawl home. The restraint of a single Joeffer Caoc origami fold on a sapphire blue silk top is all the drama I need. I admire how Proenza Schouler’s sleeves arc around the shoulders like parentheses. But the swingy trapeze arms of Pink Tartan’s minktrimmed pea jacket seem to make more sense. And Dolce & Gabbana’s sheer silk animal print blouses with gold leather collar trim would be an exquisite addition to any wardrobe. But I’ll take the quiet sensuality of Arthur Mendonça’s chiffon blouses that drape demurely across the chest. Don’t get me wrong. I admire the excitement of European clothes. The delicate beauty of my Alberta Ferretti silk dress. The innovation of laser-cut fringe on my Lanvin skirt. And the snug yet flexible armholes of my Chanel jackets. But there’s another reason beyond versatility that European designer clothes don’t travel well. I am not going to risk any of these precious pieces to lost luggage – the financial compensation wouldn’t even cover one Chanel sleeve.
SEPTEMBER 28 OCTOBER 4, 2007
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2007 OUTLANDER – OUT MANOEUVRE Imagine having anything you need. Everything you want. And things you never imagined. The 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander outperforms your driving needs, offering rallyinspired control and unheard-of fun in a familyfriendly vehicle. Innovative from road to roof. Outlander applies it’s motorsports know-how with a unique lightweight aluminum roof panel that effectively lowers the vehicle’s centre of gravity for sharper response. The advanced FAST-KEY access system responds to your presence, letting you unlock your Outlander and drive it away without touching a key. Outlander charges forward with an all new 220-hp 3.0-litre 24valve SOHC V6 that’s equal parts power and efficiency. An aluminum-alloy engine block and oil pan help to lower weight and improve the vehicle’s overall balance. Sound engineering is something you can feel. The 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander can be seen at 475 Kenmount Rd., St. John’s. Nicholas Langor/ The Independent
‘Dude, summer’s over’ C
onsider this as a change of sea- category of vehicle. I took my wish list sons for me — after a full sum- to Dave Tucker Acura in St. John’s. mer of tearing around in sports Dave set me up with something seasoncars I’m moving on. al, yet fashionable. (When it gets cold To make the transition as smooth as outside I like to wear an automobile.) I possible I looked for a vehicle with all was suited with a 2007 Acura RDX, the characteristics that make which is categorized as a driving interesting. Handling compact luxury crossover is still a big deal for me — I sport utility vehicle (SUV). really like firm suspension Compact? Compared to and tight steering, something everything else I suppose, but that I can throw into a corner there’s room for five adults and slingshot off the other and all their gear. side (as much as the laws of Luxury? You betcha. physics and decent tires will Leather seats, dual climate allow). control, voice-activated bilinMARK And a turbocharged engine gual communication system WOOD — I love the faint whistle of a and voice-activated satelliteturbo as it stuffs an engine WOODY’S linked navigation system. with more fuel than it would There’s also a secure centre WHEELS console that boasts enough normally swallow, like a force-fed goose raised for room to swallow a briefcase. foie gras. Paddle-shifters are also high It has a power point inside as well for on my list. Nothing else gives you that the purpose of charging a laptop comFormula One feeling of shifting gears puter. By comparison, the amount of than a set on the steering wheel. You well-designed storage in the console of can see where I’m coming from now — the RDX is more than the entire trunk flipping the paddles on the downshift space of a few roadsters I’ve driven. for the approach, stomping on the Crossover? The definition of which, turbo, and shooting the curl of a road left to my discretion, would be a cross wave like a sunburnt, teenage surfer. between a sports car and a five-door Dude, summer’s over. Time to get a sport sedan imperceptibly jacked-up for haircut and a job, probably even grow winter. up or, in my case, move on to the next Sport utility vehicle? That’s appar-
ently something with off-road capability — you could do that in an RDX, but I wouldn’t be too quick to fold down the seats and fill it up with fresh cut firewood. The sport part of this SUV is the high-speed thrill of Acura’s SHAWD, or super handling all-wheel drive. This innovative system directs power to each or all wheels on demand. The front/rear power balance can vary from 90/10 to 30/70, depending on whether the vehicle is accelerating, cruising or climbing in any road condition and as much as 100 per cent power can be transferred to the outside rear wheel during cornering. Naturally, every possible combination of front and rear, left and right wheel power sharing goes on completely unbeknownst to the surfer shooting the curl of a road wave. Powering all the shenanigans is a fuelefficient 2.3-litre, four cylinder with 240 horsepower, an incredible amount of muscle for a light engine and made possible with the addition of their variable-flow turbocharger. Usually there’s a little lag associated with turbos, but Acura overcame this by constricting the exhaust flow at low engine speed to keep the turbo spinning efficiently. The result is broad, smooth power from a standing start all the way to 6,000 rpms, the usual turbo kick is imperceptible thanks to the variable
2007 Acura RDX
flow set-up, but she can certainly scoot her shapely carriage along nicely. And for all those who appreciated my previous turbo analogy a couple of months ago, she really does tear off like a wild pack of doped up Tour de France bicycle racers. (A particularly disgraced, and admittedly enhanced pack, for
Mark Wood photo
good measure.) And I’m still searching for just the right words. Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s can’t even pronounce foie gras, but doesn’t hesitate to compare it to a turbocharger.
32 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
‘Hi, Cutie’
There is just so much left unsaid on our roadways
W
hen we were teenagers, my would like to customize my own saysister and I used to drive ings, because there is just so much that around in her Volkswagen gets left unsaid on our roadways. I Bug and talk to strangers with a little could even divide it into three sections system called a Hi Sign. A paddle of — The Emotional, The Snotty, and sayings you could flip and The Helpful. flash to other drivers, it I would like to have use of allowed you to express your the word “Sorry.” Sorry for innermost thoughts with cutting you off -— it truly subtle witticisms like “Hi, was accidental. Sorry for not Cutie” and “Wanna Party?” realizing this lane ended — It was all innocent fun I’m not from around here. until two bored lads on a Sorry for honking — I didn’t Saturday night decided two see the kid crossing in front girls flashing the words of you, though I’m glad you LORRAINE SOMMERFELD “Follow Me!*” at them was did. an offer they couldn’t I would write “Ever Had refuse. They obviously One of Those Days?” on couldn’t see the fine print another sign. Missing the underneath — “*to a house advanced green, stopping too where a strict father will be long at the stop sign, belatedenforcing an even stricter curfew, and ly pulling in somewhere and making leaning on a rifle that is not a prop.” you hit the brakes. Too often I think We ditched the paddle that night. that everyone else is driving just to But now I want it back. This time, I make me crazy; I conveniently over-
POWER SHIFT
look the human factor that also makes strangers hop out of vehicles in the rain to help if there’s been an accident. It’s like you don’t need anyone, until you do. But in the absence of an accident, there’s just lots of selfish anger. I would have “Are You Kidding Me?” in my trove. I admit it. “Does Daddy Know How Badly You Drive His Car?” would probably get me in trouble, but would still be worth it. I know I would get great use out of “It’s a Fire Route. You’re Not on Fire — Yet” for the idiots that clog the parking lot at the grocery store. “Hang Up” would be dog-eared with overuse. “Talk With Your Mouth, Not Your Hands” would be another favourite. Why is it the least skilled drivers devote the least attention to it? But I believe the true value in my little signs would be their assistance capability. How many times have you
Too often I think that everyone else is driving just to make me crazy; I conveniently overlook the human factor that also makes strangers hop out of vehicles in the rain to help if there’s been an accident. wanted to tell someone one of his or her tires needed air? Four little signs denoting each tire, and you’ve helped someone’s fuel economy and maybe headed off a flat. Maybe they don’t know they have a
“Brake Light Out.” They would thank me. “Your Indicator is On” would be a godsend, except those people are usually staring straight ahead and refuse to look anywhere else. Besides, if you’re mistaking a steady clicking noise as normal, maybe you need something other than a mechanic. In a perfect world, I envision a gentle behavioural shift. If you are repeatedly told to hang up your phone, maybe you’d clue in that you should concentrate on driving. If dozens of people keep telling you something is malfunctioning on your vehicle, maybe you’ll get it seen to. Maybe if someone could apologize for a boneheaded move they’ve made, it would calm you down instead of riling you up. And who wouldn’t smile once in a while if we left in one of the original signs? Tell me “Hi, Cutie” wouldn’t make your day. www.lorraineonline.ca
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 The Kentucky Derby 5 Laundry cycle 9 Crooner Dusk (“Back in Town”) 13 Sudan’s neighbour 17 Applaud 18 Wind-blown indicator 19 Surface measurement 20 Madras music 21 Karl Marx wrote one 23 Mongolia’s capital 25 Vancouver time 26 Kind of sax 27 Arduous journey 28 City of S. Belgium 29 Prov. with Wild Horse, Stand Off and Westward Ho 30 Kiddy litter? 31 Milk holder 32 Equine lodgings 35 “And ___’s your uncle!” 36 Prov. with a quarter of Canada’s people 37 Chest bone 40 Old stringed instruments 41 “Fruit Stand Capital of Canada” (B.C.) 44 Terror 45 Apartment 46 Fay of “King Kong” 47 Toogood ___, Nfld. 48 Inuit sea goddess 49 ___ Brother is watching
50 English “O Canada” author 51 N.B.’s tree: balsam ___ 52 Deep distress 53 Sparkly headpiece 55 ___ tongues (NL dish) 56 Pacific Coast people 59 Asian bovine 60 Nuke 61 Ont.’s official bird: common ___ 62 N.B. tanning time 64 Wool bearers 67 Please (Span.): ___ favor 68 Enjoy a chapter or two 69 Career golfers 70 Clothing 71 Leaving no stone unturned 73 Iraqi port 74 Shogunate capital 75 Yes in Ypres 76 Tee preceder 77 Prairie rodent 78 With: prefix 79 Sate 81 Sunscreen ingredient 82 Writing-on-___ Prov. Park, Alta. 85 Coral ___ 86 Ont. cranberry capital 87 Handwoven rug 90 Where to find Patagonia 92 Famous (2 wds.) 94 Get rid of stock
CHUCKLE BROS
95 Like vinegar 96 Blood: prefix 97 Conduit 98 Fall (over) 99 The birds and the ___ 100 Not closed 101 Brewing choices DOWN 1 Red-coated force 2 Bummer! once 3 Isn’t able to 4 Upon: prefix 5 Slender and graceful 6 Linguine or macaroni 7 Heavily engaged with 8 New: prefix 9 Actor Chaykin 10 Site of Van Gogh’s Yellow House 11 Tropical wood 12 Beach acquisition 13 Lauzon of “Air Farce” 14 Loathe 15 Wide-eyed 16 Have the intestinal fortitude 22 Reversing ___, N.B. 24 Quebec’s official flower: ___ flag iris 27 Hamlet’s infinitive 29 Aid criminally 30 Conservative 31 Prime rib au ___ 32 Nub in some fabrics 33 Inuit name for their forerunners 34 Inuit hooded shirt
35 Great ___ Rainforest, B.C. 36 Iranian city 37 Embarrassed 38 A Hanomansing 39 Bikini top 41 Malay dagger 42 Hotel help 43 Goof 44 They’re often ticklish 46 Cowardly 48 Procrastinator’s deadline 50 Enclose a gift 51 Dandy 52 ___ Buffalo National Park (Alta.) 54 “The ___ have it!” 55 B.C. artist with pet monkey 56 Biblical ark-itect 57 Famed Canadian photographer 58 Worship 60 Last place to see wild animals? 61 Table support 63 Russian autocrat 64 ___-Anne-de-Beaupré, Que. 65 Coal scuttle 66 Conceit 67 Greek letter 68 Wheat disease 69 Dominique’s dad 71 Large cask 72 Egg (Fr.) 73 Artist Molly Lamb ___
75 Alta. town with giant Pronghorn Antelope 77 Non-metric volume 78 Fishhook line 79 Canadian film award 80 Sales reps follow
them up 81 Swedish PM assassinated, 1986 82 Prov. with least fog 83 Trap aloft 84 Watch the girls
85 Wedding fling? 86 Microwave sound 87 Playboy 88 The women’s Y 89 Hill insects 91 Bill
92 World Health Org. 93 St. John’s summer time Solutions on page 34
Brian and Ron Boychuk
WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MAR. 21 TO APR. 19) An upcoming trip could create some problems with your schedule unless you tie up as many loose ends as possible before you head out the door. Ask a friend or colleague to help you. TAURUS (APR. 20 TO MAY 20) Being eager to start a new project is fine. However, moving ahead without knowing what will actually be expected of you could cause a problem down the line. Ask some questions. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Getting through some recent challenges in good shape might give you a false sense of security. Don’t relax your guard. You need to be prepared for what else could happen.
CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22) Caution is still advised, even though you think you’re as prepared as you need to be. Keep in mind that change is in your aspect, and you should expect the unexpected. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) The Lion’s gift of persuasion helps you get your points across, even to some of your most negative naysayers in the workplace. An old friend might seek you out for some advice. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Being sure of your convictions is fine. But leave some room for dissenting opinions. You might learn something that could help you avoid a possible problem later on.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) Getting good legal advice on what your rights actually are is the first step toward resolving that pesky problem so that it doesn’t reemerge at a later date. Good luck. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Longtime relationships work well this week, whether they’re personal or professional. It’s also a good time to invite new friends and colleagues into your life. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) This is a good week to do the research that will help you uncover those irrefutable facts that can back you up on your new venture when you most need it. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) Change is an important factor in your aspect this week and could
affect something you might have thought was immune to any sort of adjustment or “alteration.” AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Being asked to share someone’s deeply personal confidence might be flattering, but accepting could be unwise. Decline gracefully but firmly. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MAR. 20) As wise as you are, you could still be misled by someone who seems to be sincere but might not be. Take more time to assess the situation before making any commitments. YOU BORN THIS WEEK You like to face challenges that others might try to avoid, and by so doing, you set an example of courage for all.
Fill in the grid so that each row of nine squares, each column of nine and each section of nine (three squares by three) contains the numbers 1 through 9 in any order. There is only one solution to each puzzle. Solutions, tips and computer program available at www.sudoko.com
(c) 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
SOLUTION ON PAGE 34
INDEPENDENTSPORTS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2007 — PAGE 33
Luke Adam in the St. John’s Fog Devils’ dressing room at Mile One Centre, St. John’s.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Third-year test Fog Devils expect more of themselves this season By Brian Callahan The Independent
C
lichés are, regrettably, used to death in sport. But sometimes they are just so appropriate you can forgive someone for dredging one up. In referencing the disappointing-tosay-the-least St. John’s Fog Devils home opener Sept. 21, coach and GM Real Paiement falls into that category. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” Paiement tells The Independent, alluding to the 6-1 loss to the P.E.I. Rocket Sept. 21. “Obviously, we didn’t make the best impression in front of almost 5,000 fans and now we have a lot of work to do to get those fans back.” But the Fog Devils came to play the
next night, doubling up one of the topranked major junior teams in the country, 6-3. It didn’t hurt, either, that defenceman T.J. Brennan and centre Jean-Simon Allard had just returned from the Buffalo Sabres training camp. But the Fog Devils’ first win of the season was in front of half the number of fans from the night before. The early-season test will be whether the Fog Devils can carry that winning effort into this weekend’s tête-a-tête at Mile One Centre with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, who are off to a hot 41-0 start and made it to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s semi-finals last year. And St. John’s will be looking for some payback after dropping its first game of the season to Cape Breton, 4-3 at Sydney’s Centre 200. The Fog Devils
trailed 4-0 in that game, but scored three, third-period goals to at least make a game of it. “They’ve definitely surprised a lot of people with their start,” says Luke Adam, 17, a second-year forward from St. John’s who had 15 points in 19 games in his first year as a Fog Devil last year. “I mean, they’re on fire, they’re comin’ in here hot, and it’ll be a real good test for us.” Paiement realizes his team could’ve won that first game in Sydney. But then, he’s convinced the Fog Devils are capable of winning every game they play this year. “We used to hope to win games, but now we know we can beat any squad out there,” he says matter-of-factly. That’s as far as he’ll go, though, in terms of specific expectations this sea-
son. It’s well-documented that Paiement won’t publicly talk about targets for wins or points, but he does believe the team should finish in the top third of its Eastern division. “I know what kind of team we have. Our players know what kind of team we have. We’re big and experienced, and we do have goals. But they are individual goals for the players,” Paiement says. “And I can tell you that if they meet those individual goals, we will win a lot of games.” It’s a given he’ll be looking to the team’s first-ever NHL draft pick, Brennan, as well as the other five who attended NHL pre-season camps, to meet those goals. See “Returning lineup,” page 34
One last hurrah
Vicki Thistle returning to soccer pitch one more time before focusing on basketball
T
he girl whose goal catapulted Mount Pearl/Electronic Centre into the Canadian women’s soccer championship will travel with the team to the national tournament. Vicki Thistle has stated she will be part of the team in Halifax next week. Thistle actually quit soccer, after suffering a minor ankle injury in her first game for Memorial that scared more than it hurt. The injury must have also caused some grief to Mount Pearl coach Scott Betts, who worried for his leading goal scorer. With the proclamation that she’s prepared to play soccer for one more weekend, it’s good news for Betts, but a nerve-wracking decision for Doug
Fig.16
DON POWER
Power Point Partridge, Thistle’s basketball coach. (Not that Partridge needs much nudging to be nerve-wracked.) “I wanted to go,” Thistle said earlier this week, “and Doug approached us. He’s allowing us to miss practice.” “Us” includes Kelly Himmelman, a basketball and soccer teammate. The two girls will miss one basketball practice and one exhibition game. As a con-
cession to their main sport, they won’t travel to Halifax until Friday, forcing them to miss Mount Pearl’s opening game against Nova Scotia. Basketball, Thistle states unequivocally, is No. 1. “I was going to miss a lot of soccer anyway,” she said. “I didn’t want to blow the whole basketball season, because I trained all summer for it. The decision (to quit) soccer was easy.” Having said that, the decision to attend the national championship was also an easy one for Thistle, as easy as the one to put aside her goals of playing for both MUN soccer and basketball teams. The injury “scared” her not so much
because of the seriousness of it, but because she felt training hard for both varsity teams would leave her body drained at the nationals. “I would be training so much with both basketball and soccer, my body would be so tired,” she explained. “I was afraid that would make me more susceptible to injuries. I don’t practise very much with Mount Pearl soccer because the practices fall right when basketball is.” And basketball is foremost in her thoughts this season. Thistle was a freshman on last year’s AUS champs and CIS bronze medallists. This year, the club has worked hard already (even though the season is more than a month
away) and has definite goals. Thistle has definite goals for soccer too, even if it is one last hurrah. “We finished last, last year,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll be respectable. Everybody wants to be competitive when we go.” None more so than Vicki Thistle. Meanwhile, Mount Pearl is not the only team travelling next weekend for nationals. Ten local teams will participate in various age group championships. Here at home, the Tide Under14 national championships are taking place in and around the capital city. See “Map woes,” page 34
34 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
Call of the moose
Returning lineup
For Paul Smith, pretend moose hunting is almost as fun as the real thing
From page 33
PAUL SMITH
The Rock
Allard wasted little time making his mark — both physically and statistically — being named the first star in St. John’s first win of the season. And German-born goalie Timo Pielmeier, the starter in all four games of this young season, got his first win a night after being pulled before the start of the third period. The return of Allard and Brennan means all six players that were away for NHL rookie camps have now returned to the Fog Devils lineup. That includes last year’s team leading scorer, Ryan Graham, who was in Minnesota but played his first game last week for St. John’s after nursing a collarbone injury, and Matt Fillier, who was at L.A.’s camp. Make no mistake, though. While the season is young, the early games will be an important gauge for Paiement in determining who he can look to for leadership and scoring. “I would say another 10 games will give me a good idea … before I can really feel it out,” he says. If the Fog Devils are to pick up where they left off after their win over P.E.I., they’ll want to keep an eye on Cape Breton’s Jonathan Laberge, who already has five goals on the year.
Outdoors
O
nly two weeks to moose season, if you hunt those massive antlered critters on the Avalon Peninsula or thereabouts. On the Avalon, Burin and Bonavista Peninsulas, moose season opens Oct. 6. All areas west of the Clarenville area have been open since Sept. 8, and it’s a safe bet that more than a few freezers are already brimming with meat. But like I said last week, this has been the warmest fall I’ve ever experienced. Hunters would have had little time for leisure once their animals were shot. With daytime temperatures in the high teens and low 20s, meat can spoil quickly. The sooner those skinned quarters are hanging in your butcher’s chill room the better. In recent years, Robert and I have been taking our animal to the butcher as soon as we get it skinned and cleaned up. I just don’t trust these warm temperatures on my precious supply of wild meat. Speaking of winter meat, don’t underestimate the value of moose to Newfoundland’s subsistence economy. The number of licences issued is up 570 from last year to a total of 26,725. With a success rate of 67 per cent, 17,906 moose will likely be shot this fall. An average 350 pounds of edible meat per animal means more than six million pounds of moose is ready to hit the dinner table. At two dollars a pound, that’s more than $12 million. And in the opinion of many, moose is far superior to its domesticated equivalents from a health and nutrition perspective. I’m getting a little hungry here while writing. My supply of moose ran out several months ago and I’m craving a good scoff of moose and onions, not to mention moose sausages grilled to perfection. Enough about eating moose. Time to chat about hunting. The thing I like best about moose hunting is the calling. My hunting buddy, Robert Richards, is a fantastic moose caller. He’s able to produce just the right tone deep in his throat without any strain or artificial aid. No need for horns or store-bought gizmos, Robert just cups his hands around his mouth and bawls like a lovesick bull moose. Sometimes he uses a birch bark cone to amplify his efforts, but it really isn’t necessary. I, on the other hand, make a decent effort with the birch bark cone — but without it I’m Solutions for crossword on page 32
brian.callahan@theindependent.ca Katarina Stoltz/Reuters
useless. My throat just doesn’t have that low guttural pitch. By September the rut is on and dominant bulls have rounded up a harem of cows for the sole purpose of passing on their superior genes. These big, robust bulls are very possessive over their cows and do not take kindly to intruders. Younger bulls usually hang around the fringes, hoping to sneak off with one of the cows while the old bull is preoccupied. It sounds like these patriarchs of the north woods have it made, but life at the top is not without challenge. Sometimes young upstart bulls get bolder, and that can mean trouble. Bull moose have some spectacular antler-clashing sessions over cows during the rut. Most times one will back down and live to fight another day, but occasionally they fight to the death, especially if their antlers become entangled and locked together. I have witnessed these titans of the deer family battle and it is quite a spectacle of brute force and power. Enter Robert, bawling like an aggressive young bull, challenging the patriarch for his cows and reputation. The Solutions for sudoku on page 32
response can be explosive. Robert and I spend more than our share of time pretend hunting for moose. My daughter tells me I haven’t grown up, and she’s probably right. Or maybe I played cowboys too much as a kid. For whatever reason, I love the mock moose hunt just as much as the real thing (and in the mock hunt, there’s no hauling out 400 or more pounds of animal). A few Septembers ago, Robert and I were hunting ducks where there were none and grew bored with it — time to antagonize a bull. Robert made an especially bold and primal call while we stood in the middle of a small cutover. Rain pelted down on us. Almost instantaneously, a low earthy grunt came from what seemed like a kilometre or so to the west of us in a heavy stand of spruce and fir. We looked excitedly at one another. After about 30 seconds of silence, Robert responded with several short loud snorts. Out of the woods came our bull’s unimpressed acknowledgement. It sounded like he was moving towards us. “He’s not coming to invite us to tea, you know,” I whispered to Robert. I was not thrilled with our ground-level position in this game. We usually play from the safety of hilltops. Nevertheless, the game progressed, on whose terms I’m not quite sure. Robert and our bull grunted angrily back and forth at each other. Then we could hear his heavy steps as he crossed
a small bog that paralleled the clearing where we stood. Air hissed from his nostrils as he drew closer to the clearing. Now we could see a huge set of antlers towering over the low spruce on the edge of the clearing. I was growing a little nervous about what I felt might be a much-too-close encounter, but Robert was in his glee. Finally, our bull broke through the trees and came into full view only about 20 feet from where we stood. It was the biggest bull I’d ever seen in this neck of the woods — 26 points by my count. He looked right at us with piercing eyes. Rain was dripping off the bell that dangled from his massive neck. His musky smell hung in the damp air. He looked pissed off and mean. I’d had enough and yelled a loud and distinctly human shout. I expected him to bolt but he didn’t. Slowly he turned and walked very deliberately away from us, turning his head for one last look before disappearing into the spruce. Robert and I just looked at each other in disbelief. Looking a 26-point bull moose straight in the eyes for 60 seconds from 20 feet is scary but special. It is a moment in time I will never forget. Paul Smith is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast living in Spaniard’s Bay. flyfishtherock@hotmail.com
Map woes From page 33 Three teams — boys and girls from Mount Pearl and a boys squad from St. John’s — will join the other teams in the event, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 3. As is customary now for such events, the hosts have a website that informs the media and general public about teams, schedules, hotels, attractions and field locations. Because of current technology, this particular website shows the driving route from the host hotel, Holiday Inn, to the various fields. I don’t know if the locals did the mapping route, but they should have pegged Ultramar as a sponsor, because they’re making people drive extra miles. It’s actually funny to read. To get from Holiday Inn to King George, they don’t suggest taking New Cove Road, which will bring you right to the spot. No, they take you off New Cove Road to Torbay Road to King’s Bridge to Lake Avenue to Carnell Drive. Even getting to the Outer Ring Road is a chore. The maps suggest taking the parkway to Allandale Road before hooking up with the Ring Road. Doesn’t the Ring Road have a Portugal Cove Road ramp? I thought so. The route to Mount Pearl’s Upper and Lower Smallwood fields can easily be cut. Here’s hoping the parents leave long before the team buses, because the local bus drivers probably won’t be taking these routes. donniep@nl.rogers.com
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 35
Media played ‘vital’ role in softball championships Dear editor, The 2007 Labatt Canadian Senior Men’s Fast Pitch Softball Championships were, according to all reports, a tremendous success. They provided a great deal of satisfaction for all of us who were connected with putting them together, organizing them,
and running them. A major aspect of the success was the exceptional media coverage that the championships received, especially from The Independent. For this we are very thankful and we appreciate the wonderful co-operation that you and your staff provided. The Independent coverage identified the important role that the champi-
onships played as a sporting event, as a tourism attraction and as an entertainment opportunity for close to 25,000 fans. Your overall media attention was vital prior to the start of the championships. Not only did it increase the anticipation of fans, it generated a very beneficial interest in a large number of corporate sponsors who, in their own
important way, provided the support that allowed an eight-day event to be extremely successful. It would have been wonderful if one of the Newfoundland and Labrador teams had emerged as champions but that was not to be. We are proud of all three local entries and retain some pride in the showing of the Alberta club, with
10 Newfoundlanders on its roster. We regard the great support of the media on the same level as the great weather that graced the championships. Gary Corbett, Chair, host committee 2007 Senior Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championships
Who’s in, who’s out of Jays’ rotation Richard Griffin Torstar wire service
Q
: Do you feel there is such a plan as “the B.J. way” anymore? When starting from scratch in ’77 there was a definite B.J. way. They hired great scouts, instructors, drafted the best athlete available, used the Rule 5 (draft) wisely, developed a minor league system second to none, instructional camp in Dunedin and many players sent to winter ball. They never lied to their fans, were true to their word and never wavered from their plan. After 6 years they had drafted or signed and developed (Lloyd) Moseby, (Dave) Stieb, (Tony) Fernandez, (Jesse) Barfield, (Jimmy) Key. Now after six years with J.P. (Ricciardi) we find he has yet to draft and develop an everyday outfielder, catcher, first baseman, shortstop, third baseman, or closer. Baseball America ranks their minor league system as one of the poorest in baseball for years. We are told once again the prospects are in the low minors. J.P.’s plan at the beginning was to draft college players because “they would get to the majors quicker.” This botched plan resulted in (that) he had to sign and overpay to fill holes (i.e. A.J. Burnett, Frank Thomas, Troy Glaus). He is now forced to go into ’08 with the same team with some “weaks.” There will be injuries in ’08 and there are still no major league substitutes to turn to unless (Matt) Stairs can play eight different positions. (Gregg) Zaun had no credible backup and still doesn’t. The best baseball person I envision as being the one to replace (Ricciardi) would be Terry Ryan. His record of success with Minnesota, a
Breathe through a straw for 60 seconds. That’s what breathing is like with cystic fibrosis. No wonder so many people with CF stop breathing in their early 30s.
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small market team like Toronto, his drafting record, his honesty, would be a perfect match. David Smith, Guelph, Ont. A: Great question. Certainly, there is no active plan like “the Blue Jays way” anymore. It has been kidnapped and replaced by a lookalike plan called “the J.P. way.” The J.P. way is somewhat similar to the George W. Bush U.S. presidential administration and its long-term handling of the Iraq situation. Remember Ricciardi’s pretzel logic on the B.J. Ryan elbow injury? “If we know the truth then it’s not a lie.” Remember Dubya dramatically landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln just off San Diego on May 1, 2003? With a big banner in the background, proclaiming “Mission Accomplished,” Bush stated: “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” Whether Bush believed it or not, at the time, those words turned out to be hollow and Bush has been in a “Plan B” mode ever since. Ricciardi’s “aircraft-carrier moment” may have come following the 2003 season when the Jays rode a Cy Young performance by Roy Halladay (22-7, 3.25 ERA) and twin-MVP calibre seasons from Carlos Delgado (.302, 42 HR, 145 RBI) and Vernon Wells (.317, 33 HR, 133 RBI) to an 86-76 record. Mission accomplished. The “five-year plan” seemed ahead of schedule … that is until a follow-up campaign in ’04 produced a disappointing, inexplicable record of 6794, despite the veteran additions of Justin Speier, Ted Lilly, Miguel Batista, Pat Hentgen, Corey Koskie and Terry
Adams. The Jays have been in “Plan B” mode ever since with no playoffs in sight. As for looming prospects on the farm to help in ’08, consider that at the Triple and Double-A levels, the Jays had one player bat over .300 (minimum 100 atbats). That was catcher Robinson Diaz who batted .316 at AA-New Hampshire. On the pitching side, the leading winner at AAA-Syracuse was Josh Banks (1210, 4.63 ERA), while at Double-A it was Kyle Yates (9-9, 4.53 ERA). As for former Twins’ GM Terry Ryan and his baseball future, it reminds me of the Pat Gillick scenario, who felt burned out as GM back in ’95 and handed over the Jays’ reins to Gord Ash while remaining on as senior advisor. After a couple of years, the fire started burning again and Gillick moved on to become GM of the Orioles. Ryan will need a year or two off as Twins’ senior advisor, but when the time comes, the Jays could not do any better than at least attempting to interview him as a replacement for Ricciardi. The Twins have never had as big a budget as the Jays currently. Ryan would love to know what that’s like.
ball. One thing Russ has going for him is that he is J.P. Ricciardi’s first ever draft pick back in June of 2002. There is always loyalty there (see Ash and Roy Halladay). Secondly, Adams has shown an ability to play both second and third base, although they would need to find another player to back up at shortstop. The likely choice right now would be Ray Olmedo. The reason for finding someone other than Adams for shortstop is that many times during the season, trailing by a run or two, the Jays will pinch-hit for McDonald. It’s not a good move if the man you put in to replace him in the late innings is a significant downgrade defensively. After all, that’s why Royce Clayton is gone. The third positive that Adams has is that he is a left-handed hitter, which works well if you are giving Aaron Hill or Troy Glaus a day off. As for Adams’ ability as a clutch hitter, there is nothing on the line at the stage of the season when Adams was called up. He has showed that he can be a useful offensive player, but next season will show his ability in the clutch.
Q: Read your Q&A every week, love it. After watching games against the Yankees and the Boston series, I see that Russ Adams is a pretty clutch hitter and not bad on the field. Would you see him backing up Aaron Hill and Johnny Mac next season? I think he was a pretty good player who struggled last season but did a nice job since getting called up. Will K., Toronto
Q: Do you know if MLB has considered using instant replay? (I would even take it a step further and introduce an electronic strike zone like the one used during some telecasts). Not only would it remove human error from the officiating, but also save fans from having to sit through those ridiculous managerial hissy-fits so common in today’s game Your thoughts, please? Nathan Irving, Vancouver
A: I can definitely see Russ Adams as a backup infielder for the Jays next season. It might be his eventual lot in base-
A: Major League Baseball ownership has, in the past, considered the question
of instant replay on several meeting agendas, but always has dismissed it without ever reaching a vote. The goal of baseball has always been to shorten the time of game, not to increase it. If you consider that umpires are asked to make about 300 ball-strike calls in the average game and about 90 more calls per game involving runners on the bases, they have a pretty good track record. Major league umpires have always had their individual preferences and interpretations on balls and strikes that don’t necessarily conform to the book rules. The veteran pitchers and hitters know the individual umpire idiosyncrasies. The young hitters and pitchers may take an inning or at-bat or two to figure it out. But they adjust. For instance, Roger Clemens not only had a book on opposing hitters, but he also took notes on umpires. As for any electronically-monitored strike zone, it has already happened. Back several years ago, under then MLB president Sandy Alderson, there was a system instituted called “QuesTec” in many, but not all, major-league parks. Each home plate umpire was evaluated by a complex system of cameras that captured the ball as it crossed the plate and recorded it comparing his calls to the “book version” of the strike zone. Every umpire hated it and it caused much friction between arbiters and their handlers. There is even a suspicion that Alderson’s Padres are currently being screwed as often as possible by umpires because of his time at MLB and the QuesTec experiment. Guys like Greg Maddux that lived and died by “hitting the glove” and getting the call even if the catcher was set up slightly off the plate, hated it.
INDEPENDENTCLASSIFIED FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2007 — PAGE 36
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